Department for Transport

M25: Accidents

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road accidents have taken place between Junction 2 and Junction 30 of the M25 in each of the last four years.

Andrew Jones: The part of the M25 between Junction 2 and Junction 30 is classed as the A282. The number of reported personal injury road accidents occurring on the A282 between Junction 2 and 30 for the years 2011 to 2014 are as follows: FatalSeriousSlightTotal2011053944201213353920130544492014034144 Data for 2015 will be available in June 2016 when it is first published. Damage only accidents are not collected by the Department.

Roads: West Sussex

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much will be spent on highways maintenance in West Sussex in 2015-16.

Andrew Jones: This Government is providing both tools and funding to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to tackle the condition of our local road network. In the Spending Review 2015, the Government announced that we are allocating a total of £6.1 billion funding for local highways maintenance between now and 2021. This funding includes an additional £250 million between 2016 and 2021 for a potholes action fund to improve local roads, to promote innovation within the sector and to ensure that taxpayers get greater value for money. For West Sussex we are providing £13.7 million this financial year (2015/16). Further details of the funding we are providing to all local highway authorities in England outside London can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/6-billion-funding-to-tackle-potholes-and-improve-local-roads Local authorities are able to use revenue funding for maintaining their local highways and this is allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant. The Department for Transport is also funding a street lighting scheme in West Sussex through the Private Finance Initiative.

Air Displays

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Civil Aviation Authority's proposal to increase the fee for holding aerial displays on the viability of the aerial display industry.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority has consulted publicly on proposed air display and low flying permission charges. After this consultation, the Civil Aviation Authority would need to consult the Secretary of State, before making the scheme. When the Civil Aviation Authority consults the Secretary of State on any scheme, he will consider that scheme, including considering possible impacts on the viability of the aerial display industry.

Electric Vehicles

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Transport for London on the installation of rapid charging points; and what progress has been made on plans to install 150 rapid charging points by 2018.

Andrew Jones: The Office for Low Emission Vehicles(OLEV) has regular discussions with Transport for London about ultra low emission vehicles and charging infrastructure. London was recently announced as one of four winners of the Go Ultra Low Cities Scheme. £13m is being awarded to support a range of measures, including rapid chargers, to increase the uptake of electric vehicles and make London an exemplar city for cleaner motoring. However, delivery of charging infrastructure in London, as set out in the Mayor’s “Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Delivery Plan”, is the responsibility of Transport for London in partnership with the London Boroughs.

Roads: Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether a Minister of his Department will be representing the UK at the UN's second Global Summit on Road Safety to discuss the inclusion of targets to reduce crash deaths worldwide as a new sustainable development goal.

Andrew Jones: The UN’s Second Global High Level Conference on Road Safety has already taken place.

Roads: Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions Ministers of his Department had with Ministers of the Department for International Development to discuss the new UN sustainable development goal on reducing worldwide crash deaths.

Andrew Jones: The government has a manifesto commitment to reduce the number of cyclists and other road users killed or injured on our roads every year. Ministers from across government, including ministers from the Department for International Development, support the Road Safety Statement which was published on the 21st December 2015. The Statement sets out the government’s vision, values and priorities for improving the safety of Britain’s roads which will contribute to the sustainable development goal to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic collisions. Officials from the Department for Transport and from the Department for International Development continue to discuss the UN sustainable development goal relating to road safety.

Roads: Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on preparations for the UN General Assembly debate scheduled for April 2016 on Road Safety as a result of the Second Global Conference in Brasilia in 2015.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) UK Permanent Representative to the UN in preparing for debate in April 2016 at the UN General Assembly on Road Safety.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport has been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to arrange for a UK representative to attend the UN General Assembly debate scheduled for April 2016 on Road Safety as a result of the Second Global Conference in Brasilia in 2015. I expect that the UK representative will be Lord Robertson of Port Ellen and I intend to meet with him shortly.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will expedite the work of the cross-governmental working group on drones; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to mitigate the safety risks posed by civilian drones.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Government’s primary responsibility is the safety and security of our citizens. That is why we apply the highest regulatory safety standards for commercial aviation in the world. There is legislation in place that requires users of small drones to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with their vehicle, and that requires users to not recklessly or negligently cause or permit their vehicle to endanger any person or property. It is already illegal to operate a drone recklessly or negligently, and the Crown Prosecution Service has successfully prosecuted where there has been persistent reckless behaviour. Education of drone users is vital. The DfT is working with the CAA on raising awareness of responsible drone use. This includes the CAA’s ‘Drone Code’ safety awareness campaign and the issuing of safety leaflets at the point of sale. We will continue to keep our policies and regulation under review to ensure public safety remains paramount. This currently includes working with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to develop consistent, EU-wide safety rules for drones.

Roads: Midlands

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the most recent cost estimate is for each of the road projects listed in the Government's announcement, Major roads investment in the Midlands, published on 1 December 2014 that have not yet been completed; and what the final costs were of any of those projects that have been completed.

Andrew Jones: For schemes that are Open for Traffic, the actual out-turn costs have been provided. Schemes that are in development or construction show the latest approved estimate. Scheme NameAnnouncedEstimated Cost (£m)Source of EstimateM1 junctions 28 to 312010205.8Under constructionA453 widening2011170.0Scheme completeM6 junctions 10a to 13201198.3Scheme completeA14 Kettering bypass widening201137.6Scheme completeM1 junction 19 improvement2011190.7Under constructionA45-A46 Tollbar End2011106.3Under constructionA38 Derby junctions2013180 to 282In developmentM5 junctions 4A to 62013106.4Under constructionM54 to M6 and M6 toll link road2013237 to 344In developmentM6 J5 to J8 smart motorway2010110.7Scheme complete For the remaining schemes outlined in the 1 December 2014 announcement, the current costs are the cost category as quoted in the RIS Investment Plan, which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/381496/roads-investment-strategy-summary-of-schemes.pdf There is currently no cost information for the Strategic Studies as they are in the very early stages of investigating options.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2016 to Question 25499, how many of the speed cameras referred to in that Answer had been painted grey on the latest date for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: We have currently converted five camera sites from grey paint to yellow and we are on track for all working motorway speed cameras to be yellow by October 2016.

Network Rail: Expenditure

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what Network Rail's net expenditure under Schedule 4 inclusive of Access Charge Supplement income was in current prices for each train operating company in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15.

Claire Perry: I have requested this information from Network Rail and can confirm that the overall net position for each year was as follows (‘-‘ denotes net income): Year09/10  10/11  11/12  12/13  13/14  14/15 Net Position (£m)- 58-73- 92- 3030- 8 The above figures are comprised of the Schedule 4 payments made by Network Rail to Train Operating Companies and the access charge supplements received by Network Rail from those companies. The Schedule 4 payments made by Network Rail to Train Operating Companies for each year were as follows:Summary Schedule 4 payments as per invoiced values (Source: Network Rail)Noted in the year the payment relates to, as opposed to the year the payment was madeIncludes standard schedule 4 payments and claims for restriction of use. Exclusive of Access Charge Supplement income Schedule 4 payments – 15/16 prices £m  TOC (latest Franchise name) 09/10  10/11  11/12  12/13  13/14  14/15 Arriva Trains Wales4.71.91.92.72.73.4C2C2.41.82.52.03.32.9Chiltern0.60.90.90.50.48.2Cross Country7.67.88.26.011.813.5East Midlands Trains20.39.75.55.821.69.6GoVia Thameslink Railway10.718.713.66.310.011.9First Great Western27.324.315.019.638.338.3Heathrow Express0.00.00.00.00.10.1London Midland2.02.72.34.13.58.4London Overground5.76.52.21.63.46.7Merseyrail2.31.50.84.23.80.3Northern4.93.64.97.09.88.8Scotrail5.44.14.32.34.24.5South Eastern13.09.86.46.011.912.4South West Trains15.211.511.112.112.316.8Southern9.411.710.315.619.432.9Transpennine Express4.72.54.33.53.64.2Virgin West Coast8.07.96.412.97.523.7Virgin Trains East Coast14.617.111.618.231.728.3Abellio Greater Anglia20.415.217.214.717.517.9Grand Total 179.1  159.4  129.2  145.1  216.8  253.0 Charge to Enhancements- 11.35- 32.26- 17.78- 12.46- 32.31- 56.00Net Total (equivalent to ACS income) 167.7  127.2  111.4  132.6  184.5  197.0  The Schedule 4 access charge supplements received by Network Rail from Train Operating Companies were as follows:Summary Schedule 4 access charge supplements (Source: Network Rail)Revalued as part of the CP5 review of charges, resulting in some significant changes in 14/15Based on expected payments for renewals and maintenance work, therefore must exclude charges to enhancements as a comparative Schedule 4 Access Charge Supplements – 15/16 prices £mTOC 09/10  10/11  11/12  12/13  13/14  14/15 Arriva Trains Wales1.51.31.31.11.111.4C2C2.72.42.41.91.92.4Chiltern2.92.72.72.12.00.9Cross Country15.213.413.710.910.415.4East Midlands Trains8.27.37.46.05.610.5GoVia Thameslink Railway8.27.37.46.05.77.5First Great Western43.138.338.931.129.428.1Heathrow Express0.10.10.10.10.10.0London Midland2.52.32.31.91.75.5London Overground0.50.50.50.40.43.8Merseyrail2.92.72.72.12.01.6Northern2.72.42.42.01.96.8Scotrail6.96.16.24.94.77.6South Eastern4.13.73.73.12.813.7South West Trains19.717.517.814.213.413.5Southern12.511.011.28.98.411.1Transpennine Express2.42.12.11.71.65.4Virgin West Coast39.234.835.528.326.819.4Virgin Trains East Coast40.836.236.829.427.927.4Abellio Greater Anglia9.48.48.56.86.412.8Grand Total 225.6  200.6  203.8  162.8  154.1  204.8

A591: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the A591 in Cumbria to be fully accessible.

Andrew Jones: Highways England is leading on the full and permanent reinstatement of the A591 and has committed to have the road fully reopened to the public by the end of May 2016.

Large Goods Vehicles: Taxation

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what revenue has been generated by the HGV levy for foreign operators in each of the last 24 months.

Andrew Jones: HGV levy revenue from foreign-registered vehicles is shown in the table. This gives figures from April 2014, when the levy started, up to the most recent available month. This shows that since April 2014 £91.2 million has been raised from foreign-registered vehicles. Note that the figures for April 2014 and March 2015 are high because they include a relatively high number of annual levy purchases. Year/ MonthRevenue2014  April£7,178,086May£3,314,580June£3,253,123July£3,387,029August£2,974,123September£3,327,219October£3,591,528November£3,553,346December£3,030,5122015 January£3,945,650February£3,644,256March£5,335,114April£4,432,556May£3,838,753June£4,111,036July£4,290,470August£3,459,024September£3,969,077October£4,224,229November£4,250,758December£3,385,1092016 January£4,279,644February£4,377,591

Great Western Railway Line: Electrification

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when electrification of the Great Western Mainline as far as Cardiff Central is expected to be completed.

Claire Perry: Sir Peter Hendy’s report published on 25 November 2015 stated that the electrification of the Great Western Mainline to Cardiff is planned to be completed by the end of Control Period 5, before March 2019.

Air Displays: Fees and Charges

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received regarding the Civil Aviation Authority's consultation on air display and low-flying permission charges; what (a) estimate of the cost and (b) assessment of the timeframe of implementing those proposals he has made; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Twelve Honourable Members have sent me thirteen letters from constituents about the Civil Aviation Authority's consultation on air display and low-flying permission charges, which itself received 534 responses. Two individuals have written directly to me. A related parliamentary petition 120628 has received over 14,400 signatures. The Civil Aviation Authority consulted the Secretary of State on 8 March about this scheme of charges. I intend to respond shortly.

Severn River Crossing

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of free-flow technology on the Severn Bridge.

Andrew Jones: The Government is considering the future of tolling arrangements at the Severn Crossing once the concession ends. I expect to consider the merits of free-flow technology in this context, although no options have yet been developed. To help understand whether this may be worth pursuing, my Department is attempting to estimate the potential traffic benefit of removing the barriers, though this work is not yet complete.

Air Displays: Fees and Charges

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on its consultation on air display and low-flying permission charges.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I have had no discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on its consultation on air display and low-flying permission charges.

Railways: Land

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) his Department or (b) an arms-length body of his Department has authorised the sale of any land containing disused rail lines since May 2010.

Claire Perry: My Department does not hold records of all such land sales by its arm’s length bodies, however It is likely that, in the period since May 2010, Network Rail, London Continental Railways (LCR), BRB (Residuary) Ltd (BRBR) (dissolved in September 2013), and Highways England (formerly the Highways Agency) all sold land containing parts of disused rail lines. Compiling a record of all sales would involve incurring disproportionate costs.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of preparing and publishing the Shaw Report on the future shape and financing of Network Rail, published in November 2015.

Claire Perry: The Department’s estimated incremental costs for preparing and publishing the Shaw Report scoping document is £8356.

Roads: Safety

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what further steps he plans to take to improve road safety.

Andrew Jones: Britain has some of the world’s lowest road casualty rates. But, in line with our Manifesto commitment, we are determined to do more to make our roads even safer. The British Road Safety Statement, published on 21 December 2015, sets out the government’s priorities for action, including practical measures to help vulnerable groups stay safe on our roads, extra money to crackdown on drug drivers and tougher penalties for people using mobile phones while driving.

Bus Services: Finance

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effects on rural communities of disbursements from the community transport minibus fund.

Mr Patrick McLoughlin: The Community Transport Minibus Fund will provide over 300 organisations with a new minibus so that they can continue to provide vital services to help elderly residents, people with learning and physical disabilities and those who do not have access to a commercial bus service. Approximately one third of the organisations obtaining vehicles through the Fund are based in rural areas.

Railways: Franchises

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of passenger rail franchises.

Claire Perry: The latest figures show that overall rail passenger satisfaction is up three percentage points since the last survey at 83 percent. However we absolutely recognise that behind those national numbers are some routes and stations where customers are not getting the service they deserve including on his local route. That is why we are so committed to getting Network Rail and GTR to work together to minimise delays and drive up customer service.

Roads: Standards

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the condition of local roads.

Andrew Jones: The Government fully understand how important it is to have a reliable quality road network, which is why we are providing a record £6 billion for local highways maintenance. We have also created the pothole action fund with a budget of £250 million dedicated to delivering better journeys.

Large Goods Vehicles: Taxation

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the HGV road user levy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government published an assessment of the effectiveness of the HGV levy in a written statement on 15 June 2015. The levy was introduced, on time, in April 2014. It raised £192.5m in its first year, with £46.5m of that coming from foreign hauliers. Compliance in Great Britain is high at around 95%, and over 3,000 fixed penalties were issued in the first year.

Bus Services: Franchises

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on smaller bus operators of local authorities franchising bus services; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: I want to ensure that smaller bus operators, who drive innovation and invention, form part of the mix of bus service providers in any future franchising model. The Department’s assessment of the effects of franchising on smaller bus operators will be set out in the Impact Assessment which will accompany the introduction of the Bill.

Roads: Standards

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the condition of local roads.

Andrew Jones: The Government fully understand how important it is to have a reliable quality road network, which is why we are providing a record £6 billion for local highways maintenance. We have also created the pothole action fund with a budget of £250 million dedicated to delivering better journeys.

Ministry of Defence

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the contract for the new Predator ER is predicated on aviation authorities giving clearance for that aircraft to fly in UK and European air space; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department is currently working towards a main investment decision on the PROTECTOR remotely-piloted aircraft announced in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, rather than contracting for a new Predator Extended Range (ER) programme. As part of this work, the Department is considering the issues and options relating to clearance to fly in UK and European airspace.

AWE Aldermaston: Contracts

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the current contractor was appointed to run the facilities at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston; when the next open competition for that contract will begin; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the current contract to run the facilities at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston was awarded as a result of open competition or an invitation for alternative bids.

Michael Fallon: The current contract for the management and operation of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, including the Aldermaston site, was awarded in 2000 following an open competition and will expire in 2025. No decision has been made on how any succeeding contract might be awarded.

Falkland Islands: Military Bases

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to improve the mutual supply chain of goods and services between the Mount Pleasant Military Base and small and medium-sized enterprises and the Chamber of Commerce in the Falkland Islands.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Secretary of State discussed these issues with the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses when he visited the Falkland Islands in February. British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI) will continue to work with the local commercial sector, including the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce, to develop opportunities for local supply of good and services including by small and medium-sized enterprises, within the legal and regulatory constraints that govern the Ministry of Defence's commercial activity. For example, we have recently put in place arrangements for the supply of locally generated renewable energy to BFSAI and to employ local companies for infrastructure work.

Ministry of Defence: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26813, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of excess fares allowance, paid car allowances or subsidised health insurance.

Mark Lancaster: Personnel in receipt of Excess Fares Allowance, Paid Car Allowance or Subsidised Health Insurance are employed in the Job Families outlined below:Business Management and ImprovementEstatesCommercialFinanceCommunications and MediaHealth ProfessionalsCorporate SupportHealth, Safety and Environmental ProtectionDefence Equipment and Support (DE&S) CommercialHuman ResourcesDE&S Corporate ServicesInformationDE&S EngineeringInternal AuditDE&S Finance and AccountingLogisticsDE&S Human ResourcesPolicy Strategy and ParliamentaryDE&S Information Management and ITPortfolio, Programme and ProjectDE&S Integrated LogisticsSecurityDE&S Project ControlsTraining and EducationDE&S Project Management Defence Intelligence Engineering and Science Notes:Job Families are a broader grouping based upon the type of role.Job Families where five or less personnel are in receipt of one or more allowances have not been included.

Defence: UK Membership of EU

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on the UK's relationships with its defence partners in Europe of the UK leaving the EU.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 March 2016 to Question 28708 to the hon. Member for Clacton (Douglas Carswell).



Membership of Defence UK Membership of EU
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Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment the Government has made of the feasibility of air drops of food supplies and aid into besieged areas during the current ceasefire in Syria.

Penny Mordaunt: The International Syria Support Group meeting in Munich in February set out a clear way ahead for the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid in Syria and for a cessation of hostilities. The UK continues to keep the humanitarian situation in Syria under review and has been playing a full role, as part of the Humanitarian Aid Task Force, supporting the UN and its partners in successfully stepping-up deliveries of food, water and medicine. Road delivery is the preferred method of delivering aid wherever possible since air drops require clear drop zones, safe access for the intended recipients, and need to be co-ordinated with authorities on the ground. While the UK has been seeking to support World Food Programme efforts to air-drop supplies to Deir ez-Zour, our assessment is that these conditions are not being met in Syria.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has plans to modernise Warrior to retain the Army's capability to field these vehicles to 2040. We placed a contract with Lockheed Martin UK in October 2011 for the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme which will include an improved turret with a new stabilised 40mm cannon.

Bombs: Irish Sea

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to defuse Second World War military devices in the Irish Sea; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the (a) number of unexploded military devices in the Irish Sea and (b) risk such devices pose to coastal areas.

Penny Mordaunt: Ministry of Defence (MOD) assessment of historic sea dumped munitions in the British Isles has been placed in the public domain and may be accessed via the following link: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121203135425/http:/www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/HealthandSafetyPublications/DSEA/DisposalOfMunitionsAtSea.htm The MOD (in conjunction with the Department for Transport) continues to operate a programme which routinely surveys the UK's busiest waters to ensure both port security and safety from historic ordnance. These surveys focus on the main channels used by commercial shipping, both within the ports and on approach routes including, in the case of the Clyde, the channels used by our vessels. Throughout the UK, any ordnance discovered ashore or at sea is a police or coastguard matter but is automatically referred to the MOD who hold Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units on standby to offer initial safety advice then attend and render safe the ordnance. There are well established maritime procedures to ensure any hazards and associated activities are promulgated to shipping and where necessary exclusion zones established and enforced, ensuring that when ordnance is occasionally discovered, it remains undisturbed until rendered safe by an assigned EOD unit.

Bombs: Irish Sea

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the source was of the military device that washed ashore between Murlough and Newcastle in Northern Ireland on 6 March 2016.

Penny Mordaunt: The item found on Murlough Beach on 6 March 2016 was a High Explosive Anti Tank rocket, which was used by UK Armed Forces from the early 1950s through to the early 1970s. It was destroyed on site by the Explosives Ordnance Disposal team that attended the incident.

Armed Forces: Large Goods Vehicles

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to enable armed forces personnel who train as drivers to receive transferable civilian HGV qualifications.

Mark Lancaster: Drivers within the Armed Forces undertake the same vehicle licence training, resulting in the same licences, as their civilian counterparts. Drivers leaving the Ministry of Defence will retain (unless expired through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) all the vehicle licences that they have gained during their service career.

Armed Forces Covenant

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many signatories there are to the Corporate Covenant to date; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the signatories to the Corporate Covenant are (a) educational establishments, (b) public health bodies, including NHS foundation trusts, (c) ambulance trusts and (d) private sector limited companies.

Mark Lancaster: As at 8 March 2016 a total of 891 organisations had signed a Corporate Pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant. The requested breakdown is provided below: Educational establishments (including training companies)79of which, schools, colleges and universities41  Public Health Bodies (excluding Ambulance Trusts)25of which, NHS Foundation Trusts12  Ambulance Trusts5  Private companies763of which, private companies with ‘Limited’ in their name355

Ministry of Defence: Freedom of Information

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of freedom of information requests (a) granted and (b) refused by his Department in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of processing these applications was in each such year.

Mark Lancaster: The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 within central Government, including details on numbers of requests received. These can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.For ease of reference, a summary is provided in the below:YearTotal resolvable requests Outcome of FOI requestGranted in FullPartially WithheldFully WithheldResponse Not Yet Provided20102,5681,62817030047020112,8441,82225664811820122,6671,7232446366420132,8251,8222726577420142,6281,475323724106All staff within the Ministry of Defence are responsible for ensuring that the Department as a whole is able to meet its legislative obligations under the FOI Act, and many can be involved in processing FOI requests. The costs in terms of staff time spent on this activity are not recorded and so the total cost cannot be calculated.

LIBOR: Fines

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what audit checks have been made on projects and organisations that have received funding from Libor fines.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which organisations and projects have received funding from the £35 million transferred to his Department from HM Treasury derived from Libor fines.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much of the £35 million transferred to his Department from Libor fines has been spent on projects supporting the armed forces community.

Mark Lancaster: All £35 million of LIBOR funding has been allocated to projects which support the Armed Forces Community. For details of the organisations and projects which benefited from this money, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 June 2015 to Question 428 to the hon. Member for St Helens North (Mr McGinn). http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-05-28/428/ Organisations that have received LIBOR funds are required to provide a monthly report of progress; these are reviewed and monitored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Armed Forces Covenant Team and, where appropriate, action taken to ensure that the project is on track. At the end of each project, recipients of LIBOR funding also complete a close of project report and an assessment is conducted against the original terms and conditions. This enables the MOD to confirm the closure and record lessons learnt for future grants. Where appropriate, the MOD Armed Forces Covenant Team have engaged with projects on a one-to-one basis.   



Armed Forces Covenant
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European Fighter Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether a decision on whether to fit the DB-110 sensor to Typhoon aircraft has been made.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department has not made any decision to fit the DB-110 sensor to the Typhoon aircraft.

Syria: Military Intervention

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Prime Minister's statement of 7 September 2015, Official Report, column 23, what rank of officer within the RAF chain of command had access to the Attorney General's advice on the legal basis for the Reyaad Khan drone strike.

Michael Fallon: The Attorney General's advice informed my decision to target Reyaad Khan. The strike was conducted by the RAF using rules of engagement informed by the Attorney General's advice.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Deployment

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in how many operations the UK Reaper force has transferred operational control of UK Reapers to (a) the US Air Force and (b) embedded RAF personnel in the US Air Force in Syria and Iraq since 2 December 2015.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 November 2015 to Question 16741. It remains the case that provisions set out in the UK-US Memorandum of Understanding have not yet been enacted by either party.



Syria Military Intervention
(Word Document, 25.58 KB)

Warships: Shipbuilding

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's current preferred bidder is for building complex warships.

Mr Philip Dunne: The term 'preferred bidder' is used in the context of the supplier down-selection process following a commercial competition. There is presently no commercial competition for the building of complex warships.

Military Aircraft: Safety Measures

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2016 to Question 25356, whether the Traffic Collision Avoidance System fitted to 43 Tornado GR4 aircraft is the Honeywell TCAS II system.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) in use on Tornado GR4 is the Honeywell TCAS II system. We continue to make progess on fitting TCAS to Tornado and 48 aircraft are now fitted with the system. The project is planned to be completed by the end of 2016.

Warships: Shipbuilding

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what timetable he has set for the development of the National Shipbuilding Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 January 2016 to Question 20545 to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon).



Warships Shipbuilding
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European Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24213, on European fighter aircraft warnings, what the two possible equipment solutions selected for formal assessment in the coming months are.

Mr Philip Dunne: The collision warning system project for the Typhoon aircraft has not yet reached Main Gate. Therefore I am unable to disclose the two possible solutions as that information is commercially sensitive.

Home Office

Home Office: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26820, what the job title is of the official in receipt of an allowance for home to work travel.

Karen Bradley: The individual’s job title cannot be revealed without making the individual easily identifiable, in contravention of the Data Protection Act.

Schools: Weapons

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received from (a) schools and (b) colleges on the reduction of knives and other weapons at such institutions; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: We have received no formal representations from schools and colleges on this matter. However reducing violence and tackling knife crime is a priority for this Government and we are delivering a range of measures to strengthen our response to this issue including strengthening the criminal justice and policing response; strengthening controls on knife sales; building resilience in young people, families and communities; and improving prevention and early intervention.Last month we supported the Metropolitan Police Service and twelve other police forces who undertook coordinated action against knife crime. This involved targeting habitual knife carriers, weapon sweeps, test purchases of knives from identified retailers, and use of surrender bins.We also jointly hosted a meeting with the Metropolitan Police and National Policing Lead aimed at retailers selling knives on 24 February. We want to work with retailers to ensure they are doing all they can to ensure the responsible sale of knives, in particular to under-18s.But we recognise there is more to do. Last year we introduced the new measure that those convicted of carrying a knife more than once are automatically sent to prison and our new Modern Crime Prevention Strategy will shortly set out measures we are taking to prevent knives from being used on our streets in the first place.

Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has recently discussed the Istanbul Convention with the (a) Welsh and (b) Scottish Government; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: The previous Government signed the Istanbul Convention to show the strong commitment it placed on tackling violence against women and girls and this Government remains committed to ratifying it.The devolved administrations are responsible for implementing the obligations of the Convention in their territories and the Government continues to liaise with them about ratification.The UK already complies with the vast majority of the Convention’s articles but further amendments to domestic law, to take extra-territorial jurisdiction over a range of offences (as required by Article 44), are necessary before the Convention can be ratified. The Ministry of Justice is currently considering the approach to implementing the extra-territorial jurisdiction requirements in England and Wales and will seek to legislate when the approach is agreed and Parliamentary time allows. Ministry of Justice officials have been in contact with their counterparts in the devolved administrations about the requirements of Article 44.

Domestic Violence: Ethnic Groups

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much the Government has spent on specialist BAME domestic violence services in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 to date.

Karen Bradley: The Government is committed to tackling domestic violence in all its forms and is determined to ensure all victims, including those from black and minority ethnic communities, have access to appropriate support.The previous Government provided £40 million of dedicated funding for domestic and sexual violence services between 2011 and 2015 equating to £10 million per year. This funding was extended until April 2016, supplemented by an additional £10 million for refuges, and a £3.5 million fund to boost the provision of domestic violence services including refuges. This funding supported all victims of domestic abuse, including victims from black and minority ethnic communities.A new Violence Against Women and Girls strategy published on 8 March 2016 sets out how the Government will support local authorities in implementing tailored services for victims who experience different forms of discrimination or additional barriers to accessing support. This includes women from black and minority ethnic communities.

Terrorism: Social Networking

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28422, on terrorism: social networking, how many of the cases referred to in that Answer resulted in (a) prosecution and (b) conviction.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Animal Experiments: Cats

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Table 1 in her Department's publication, Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2014, HC 511, what aspects of the preservation of the species were the 22 experiments on cats were designed to assist.

Karen Bradley: The 22 cats used for the preservation of the species in the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2014 were involved in a project on the genetic status and health of Scottish wildcats. The Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris grampia) was once found across the British mainland but is now confined to the Scottish Highlands. The key aims were to:• Undertake a targeted survey of Scottish wildcats and domestic feral cats in key areas in Scotland• Assess the genetic purity of Scottish wildcats and degree of interbreeding with domestic feral cats• Assess the health of both the Scottish wildcat and domestic feral cat populationTo do this, wildcats and feral domestic cats were humanely trapped and given a full health check under general anaesthesia which included the taking of a blood sample to assess the genetic purity of the wildcat as well as to look for evidence of infectious disease in both. All animals were then immediately released back into the wild.The findings of this study are being used to establish much needed baseline information which will inform key conservation management decisions for the Scottish wildcat in order to protect the population. The influence of feral domestic cats, both through interbreeding with wildcats and transmission of infectious diseases that may contribute to wildcat population decline, is being used to inform feral cat management and control programmes in wildcat areas, and may lead to specific disease control measures such as targeted vaccination.

EU Nationals: Convictions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals of other EU member states who were convicted of an offence in the UK had previous convictions in their country of origin in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: Such data is not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean this question can only be answered through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.

Asylum: Children

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the protection of minors applying for indefinite leave to remain on the settlement protection route whilst their applications are decided.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 March 2016



UK Visas and Immigration has taken significant steps to enhance support and protection for minors who apply for indefinite leave to remain. Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 requires the Home Office to carry out its existing functions in a way that takes into account the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the UK.As part of its commitment to Section 55, all UK Visas and Immigration employees have received training in order to assist them to identify potential vulnerable minors during the consideration of indefinite leave to remain applications.UK Visas and Immigration has also implemented a vulnerable minor, and adult, policy along with a National Referral Mechanism for potential victims of human trafficking, a web link to the internal guidance is below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/victims-of-trafficking-guidance-for-competent-bodies

Police: Sexual Offences

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers in each constabulary have been (a) convicted and (b) disciplined for sexual offences in the last five years.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of police officers convicted or disciplined for sexual offences.

Smuggling: Seas and Oceans

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what occasions Border Force Cutters seized contraband goods while on patrol in UK waters in each of the last six years; and what the (a) volume and (b) type of goods intercepted was in each such case.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 March 2016



Border Force does not provide seizure information specific to ports or mode of activity as to do so is likely to compromise border security.Such information in the public domain is highly likely to inform those who seek to defraud or smuggle, how and where to target their activity in order to evade border controls.

UK Border Force: Patrol Craft

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many patrols of UK waters have been conducted by Border Force Cutters in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Border Force: Patrol Craft

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether the diversion of Border Force Cutters to support Frontex's Operation Triton had an effect on the effectiveness of the Cutter Fleet in preventing the importation of contraband goods to the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Repatriation: EEA Nationals

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29272, how many of the 2635 EEA nationals upon whom administrative travel papers were served in 2014 have left the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Russia: UK Membership of EU

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the Russian government's position on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Lidington: A strong, unified European Union has a critical role to play in responding to Russian aggression in Ukraine, which has challenged stability and security on the continent. The UK has played a leading role in pressing for tough EU sanctions, delivering a cost to Russia for its actions and supporting the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. It is likely that Russia would seek to exploit the UK leaving the EU in order to sow disunity amongst Member States and weaken their resolve. This reinforces the Government’s view that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage the putting in place of a system of verification for violations during the Cessation of Hostilities in Syria; and when he expects such a system to be in place.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Cessation of Hostilities is an important step towards ending the terrible violence in Syria and bringing about a lasting political settlement.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met with the HNC Representative, Riyad Hijab in Paris on Friday 4th March to assess the current situation. Since the Cessation of Hostilities came into effect, we have seen a significant reduction in violence, which is of course a huge step forwards. But we need to see this sustained, and to see a reduction in the number of reported violations. To this end we are working with the UN and other members of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), to urgently consolidate a robust verification mechanism to monitor alleged violations of the Cessation of Hostilities. The UK had a number of staff in Geneva last week working on this.This mechanism is already starting to work through assessments of violations and we will continue to refine the operation as we continue.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the response of the government of Saudi Arabia was to his recent representations on (a) the attacks in Yemen on the Médecins Sans Frontières hospitals and mobile clinic, (b) the airstrike on the Oxfam warehouse, (c) the reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of attacks on civilians and civilian facilities including schools and (d) investigations into the use of cluster munitions.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Saudia Arabia have their own internal procedures for investigations and they announced more detail of how they investigate such incidents on 31 January. This includes a new investigation team outside of Coalition Command to review all existing procedures and suggest improvements.Regarding allegations of cluster munition use, we have raised this issue with the Saudi Arabian authorities and, in line with our obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it.

Maldives: Politics and Government

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with other Commonwealth leaders about the need to encourage further democratic reform in the Maldives.

Mr Hugo Swire: On 24 February, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) met in London to discuss the situation in the Maldives. Following that, I hosted a meeting for CMAG Ministers and senior officials. I welcomed CMAG’s conclusion that their consideration of the situation in Maldives should continue. I also supported their recommendations, in particular the need for the release of political leaders and a swift implementation of reforms to strengthen separation of powers and independence of the judiciary in Maldives. I encourage the Maldives Government to implement all of CMAG’s recommendations. I also discussed the situation in the Maldives with Foreign Minister McCully during my visit to New Zealand on 21 February and with Foreign Minister Samaraweera when I visited Sri Lanka in January.

Russia: Foreign Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, at which fora discussion takes place between Russia and (a) officials of the UK Government and (b) officials or diplomats of Western countries.

Mr David Lidington: Discussions between UK and Russian officials take place as appropriate within those international institutions where both countries are represented. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, such contact is essential as we confront international challenges such as the conflict in Syria.In the context of the NATO-Russia Council, however, dialogue with Russia has been largely suspended since Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in March 2014.Discussions take place within international institutions between Russian officials and officials or diplomats of Western countries on a range of key international issues.

Russia: NATO

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he expects the next NATO-Russia Council to take place.

Mr David Lidington: NATO is continuing to discuss options for a potential meeting of the NATO-Russia Council. For the UK, we would need to be convinced that any discussions are in the security interests of the Alliance and do not mark a return to business as usual.

Middle East: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2016 to Question 25979, what financial assistance was provided to each of the (a) 10 Israeli non-governmental organisations (NGOs) receiving funding from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund and (b) two NGOs receiving funds through the Bilateral Programme Budgets.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Freedom of Information

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of freedom of information requests (a) granted and (b) refused by his Department in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of processing these applications was in each such year.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 February 2016 (PQ 26939).https://wqa.parliament.uk/Questions/Details/34348The processing of Freedom of Information requests is part of staff responsibilities across the Department. The number of hours spent on this activity, and therefore the total cost of processing applications, is not recorded.

Northern Ireland Office

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has had discussions with Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive on the publication date of guidance for health professionals on abortion; and whether she plans to hold such discussions with those Ministers.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: I have had no discussions with Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive on the publication date of guidance on abortion for health professionals. Abortion law and guidance in Northern Ireland is a transferred matter and is therefore the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive Ministers.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Cleaning Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

Joseph Johnson: The rates of pay for cleaners, cleaning supervisors and cleaning managers in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills are £7.93, £8.43 and £12.71 (minimum) respectively.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his Department's wellness strategy is.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is committed to supporting health and wellbeing by encouraging health promotion and the adoption of healthier lifestyles for all our staff.The Department’s wellbeing strategy is based around three key strands:Preventing ProblemsThe Department runs ‘fit for work’ activities, promoting and supporting health lifestyles, and ‘healthy work’ activities, ensuring wellbeing is not threatened by negative working environments.Reacting to ProblemsAs an organisation, we take action to help those experiencing poor health or wellbeing, and support them in returning to work as soon as possible.Measuring Wellbeing in BISWe monitor progress in the Department in improving health and wellbeing, for example through monitoring turnover, and the results from People Surveys.The Department provides a number of facilities for staff, including but not limited to childcare vouchers to support parents and guardians, a mediation service to manage stressful situations, and flexible working options.

Graduates: Pay

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the average lifetime difference in salaries earned by graduates compared with non-graduates.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the distribution of the average graduate premium by each decile of graduate earnings ten years after graduation.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the average difference in salaries earned by graduates and non-graduates ten years after graduation.

Joseph Johnson: The most recent Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) commissioned research (Walker and Zhu, 2013[1]) shows that, on average, a male graduate will earn £168,000 more, and a female graduate £252,000 more, over their lifetime than someone without a degree but with 2 or more A-levels, net of income tax, VAT, National Insurance and student repayments (2012 prices).Walker & Zhu (2013) also provide a breakdown of these figures across the graduate earnings distribution, as set out in Table 1.[2]Table 1: Graduate premiums from completion of a first degree for individuals by gender across earnings decilesIndividual Net Present ValueGraduate earnings deciles Average1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9thMale168173168163161167157154166206Female252247240241241245255252285265Measurement unit £1,000This research focuses on the lifetime returns from a degree. Estimates relating to ten years after graduation are not available.BIS’ Graduate Labour Market Statistics (Q2 2015[3]) publication shows that, on average, young graduates (21-30 years old) earn £25,000 per annum compared to young non-graduates (21-30 years old) who earn £18,000. These figures do not control for differences in the characteristics of the graduate and non-graduate populations, and are gross of both taxes and student loan repayments.The Government is taking steps to improve data collection on graduate earnings and ensure students continue to get value for money. The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act enabled linking of education and HMRC tax data. The Government is consulting on the future inclusion of this data in the proposed Teaching Excellence Framework. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229498/bis-13-899-the-impact-of-university-degrees-on-the-lifecycle-of-earnings-further-analysis.pdf[2] As before, these estimates are net of tax and other costs, but also vary due to effect of income tax thresholds and the progressive nature of the student loan repayment model. For example you can see male graduates in the 1st and 2nd earnings deciles have higher graduate premiums than those between the 3rd and 8th earnings deciles as they are less likely to repay all of their student loan and will pay proportionately less income tax, National Insurance and VAT.[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/458101/BIS-15-484-graduate-labour-market-statistics-Q2-2015.pdf

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Employment Tribunals Service

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department spent from the public purse on industrial tribunals in the last 12 months.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 March 2016 by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice to Question 28629.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Consultants

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many consultants' contracts were terminated early in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and what the cost of each such termination was in each of those years.

Joseph Johnson: During the period of the last six years there have been no early terminations of consultants’ contracts for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Human Rights Act 1998

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many civil law suits have been brought against his Department based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many such suits were settled out of court before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements have cost the public purse since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: The information requested is not available because separate data for cases based wholly or partially on the Human Rights Act 1998 are not recorded.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: UK Membership of EU

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 22 February 2016, Official Report, column 35, on the European Council, whether his Department is undertaking planning in the eventuality of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 02 March 2016



At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will publish the impact assessment carried out by his Department's board on the closure of St Paul's Place, Sheffield; and what account his Department took of the diversity implications of that closure.

Joseph Johnson: The Department will shortly be publishing an Equality Impact Assessment on the proposal to close the office at St Paul’s Place, Sheffield, which will include an assessment of the diversity implications.

Apprentices

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress his Department has made in encouraging private companies to create or expand their apprenticeships programmes.

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has put incentives in place to encourage uptake of apprenticeship schemes from private companies.

Nick Boles: There have been over 2.4 million apprenticeship starts over the previous parliament, and 153,100 between August and October 2015, demonstrating the continued expansion of the apprenticeships programme.We are taking action to support and encourage the growth of apprenticeships in all sectors to meet our commitment to reaching 3 million starts by 2020. The UK-wide levy will be introduced in April 2017 for all employers in public and private sector with a pay bill of £3m or more, to help fund the increase in quantity and quality of apprenticeship training in England. All employers that hire apprentices will benefit from the levy.Our apprenticeship reforms are giving employers the opportunity to create new apprenticeship standards. More than 1300 employers are involved with 204 new standards published (of which over 60 are Higher and Degree Apprenticeships) and more than 150 are in development. So far there have been over 1,000 starts on the new standards.We are continuing to support small employers to hire apprentices through the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE), which provides eligible employers with a £1,500 grant per apprentice (aged 16 to 24) for up to five new apprentices currently. The AGE will continue to operate until the apprenticeships levy is introduced in April 2017. From April 2016, all employers will not be required to pay employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under age of 25 on earnings up to the upper earnings limit.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has to promote postgraduate loans in 2016-17; and what expenditure his Department has allocated for such promotion.

Joseph Johnson: The Department is working alongside its delivery partner The Student Loans Company and stakeholders such as Universities UK and Prospects to ensure the correct information and guidance is readily available. The Student Loans Company produces information and guidance materials for institutions and prospective students and expenditure for 2016/17 is expected to be in the region of £120,000.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the three-year residency rule for UK nationals will apply to postgraduate loan eligibility from 2016-17.

Joseph Johnson: The position on residency will be confirmed when the regulations are laid in Spring 2016. Until the regulations are laid, the Government’s position on loan eligibility is set out in the response to its consultation on postgraduate master’s loans published on 25 November 2015. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479703/bis-15-573-support-postgraduate-study-response.pdf.

UK Membership of EU

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for the completion of projects funded in England by EU structural funds in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

Anna Soubry: At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of changes in his Department's headcount in each financial year of the 2015 Spending Review.

Joseph Johnson: As part of the Department’s contribution to deficit reduction BIS received an overall 17% reduction to Resource DEL under the 2015 Spending Review. In order to meet that reduction, the Department is committed to becoming more efficient and effective, including by reducing its overall operational headcount across the whole BIS Group, in consultation with staff in the headquarters and Partner Organisations. The details of exactly what headcount reductions will need to be made in each financial year of the Spending Review are being considered alongside our overall approach to a new business model for the Department.

BBC: Royal Charters

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to ensure that people who lost money to Ecohouse Development Ltd will receive compensation.

Anna Soubry: The activities of the company are subject to an ongoing investigation by the Insolvency Service. The outcome of that investigation may influence the likelihood of a civil recovery using existing provisions in insolvency legislation.Where, on the application of the liquidator, the court is satisfied that the business of a company has been carried on fraudulently or recklessly, the court can declare that persons such as directors of the company are liable to contribute to the company’s assets.In addition, for future cases a new measure in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 enables the Secretary of State to seek a compensation order from a disqualified director (this measure does not apply in this case as the legislation only came into force after the company went into liquidation).

Universities: EU Grants and Loans

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding UK universities have been allocated under (a) the EU's 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, (b) Horizon 2020 and (c) the Erasmus programme; and what estimate of the future level of EU funding to UK universities his Department has made.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 08 March 2016



The UK received around €7 billion under the EU’s 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) and was the second highest recipient amongst Member States. Of this, €4.97 billion was awarded to UK Secondary and Higher Education Establishments. The UK had the top four Secondary and Higher Education Establishments in terms of FP7 funding received between 2007-2013 (Cambridge, Oxford, University College London and Imperial). Under the current Horizon 2020 programme (2014-2020), UK Secondary and Higher Education Establishments have been awarded €0.89 billion up to the October 2015 release of grant data. Under the current Erasmus+ programme, provisional figures indicate that UK Higher Education Institutions received a total of €114 million in 2014 and 2015. Approximately 220,000 students have benefitted from the Erasmus Programme since it began. The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills does not make estimates of future funding to UK participants in these programmes.

Home Care Services: Minimum Wage

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 28163, and with reference to the Answer of 10 June 2013 to Question 158962, whether his Department has stopped collecting data on National Minimum Wage complaints in the care sector broken down by domiciliary and residential care; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: Information on the number of NMW enquiries made to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (PWRH) and Acas Helpline for the ‘domiciliary care’ and ‘residential care’ sectors has not been collected at that level of disaggregation.

Infrastructure: Scotland

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which infrastructure projects in Scotland have received European Commission funding in each of the last five years; and how much each project received in each year.

Anna Soubry: The Scottish Government, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), funded 148 infrastructure projects during the 2007-2013 period totalling in excess of £128m. Lists of all projects funded under both the Highlands and Islands, and the Lowlands and Uplands ERDF programmes can be found on the Scottish Government website.Scotland’s infrastructure continues to benefit through the following projects:Green Infrastructure – to date £8.25m to improve the quality, accessibility and quantity of green infrastructure in Scotland's major towns and cities. Information can be found on the Scottish Government website under ‘Green Infrastructure’;Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme – to date £32.9m to grow Scotland's low-carbon economy, promote low-carbon research and innovation, and encourage investment in low-carbon technology. Information can be found on the Scottish Government website at ‘Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme’;Low Carbon Travel and Transport – to date £13.9m to increase low-carbon transport and travel in Scotland including increased use of public transport, low-energy vehicles, a national smart ticketing scheme and reliable low-carbon refuelling services. Information can be found on the Transport Scotland website under ‘Environment’;Resource Efficient Circular Economy – to date £30.7m to increase the resource efficiency of Scottish SMEs and further develop and strengthen Scotland's circular economy. Information can be found on the Zero Waste Scotland website under ‘Circular economy investment fund and service’.Information on transport projects funded by the European Commission under the TEN-T programme and the Connecting Europe Facility can be found at the Innovation and Networks Agency website. Scotland is involved in the Intelligent Transportation Systems Deployment project led by the Department for Transport (Arc Atlantique) which is listed there.

Minimum Wage: Non-payment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the nationality of employers found to have failed to pay the national minimum wage in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: We do not collect information on the nationality of employers who have been found to have underpaid the national minimum wage.

Arms Trade: Israel

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what licences were granted for exports to Israel of (a) military use and (b) dual use equipment in 2015.

Anna Soubry: Information on military and dual use export licences (including Iicences for Israel) is published as Official Statistics in the quarterly and annual reports on Strategic Export Controls. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. Data for the period 1 January to 30 September 2015 is available to view at GOV.UK. Information covering the period 1 October to 31 December 2015 will be published on 19 April 2016.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 28328, what estimate his Department has made of the number of officials who will work in the unit dedicated to assisting negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement in each of the next two years; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: No such estimate has been made. The number of officials working in the Transatlantic and International Unit will vary according to the state of the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. There is no predetermined staffing level.

Economic Growth: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken to promote regional growth in (a) East Yorkshire and (b) North Lincolnshire.

Anna Soubry: We are promoting growth in East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire by investing £240m through the Humber and Greater Lincolnshire Growth Deals. This includes up to £19m available to support growth projects in my hon. Friend’s constituency. We also announced at Spending Review 2015 an expansion to the Humber Enterprise Zone programme, including accelerating the development of employment land around the Port of Goole.

Trade Promotion

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to promote trade opportunities for UK business in high-growth markets.

Anna Soubry: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Solihull (Julian Knight) on 25 February 2016 to Question 26214.

Holiday Leave: Pay

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2016 to Question 28521, on holiday leave: pay, when work on the formal assessment of the financial impact began; and what the target date is for completion of that assessment.

Nick Boles: Our formal assessment of the financial impacts of the Court of Justice of the EU’s judgment in Lock v British Gas is based on the latest 2015 Labour Force Survey (LFS) micro data which was released on 17 February 2016. We are going through the final stages of quality assurance and hope to make the assessment available on the BIS website within the next few weeks.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Female Genital Mutilation

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28912, on developing countries: female genital mutilation, what funding was provided to each such country in each year since 2009-10.

Mr Nick Hurd: We do not hold information prior to 2013, because we did not have significant programmes focussed on FGM until our ground-breaking regional programme, which started then. Since 2013, this programme has been working in a flexible manner across borders. We account for spending across the programme by component [as a whole] rather than breaking it down by country. We spent a total of £2.3m in 2013/14 and £4.2m in 2014/15.

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the Department of Health on implementation of the Ross Fund.

Mr Nick Hurd: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 7 March to question number 28791

HM Treasury

National Insurance: EEA Nationals

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20697, on national insurance: EEA Nationals, when HM Revenue and Customs will publish the information referred to in that Answer.

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information HM Revenue and Customs holds on (a) the nationality of individuals who hold National Insurance (NI) numbers and (b) whether an individual NI number is active with regards to PAYE or benefits claims.

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many individuals recorded in (a) HM Revenue and Customs' and (b) the Department of Work and Pension's computer systems who were nationals of another EEA member country at time of registration for a National Insurance (NI) number and are recorded as having arrived in the last four years using the earlier of his or her arrival date or NI number registration date have either (i) paid NI contributions over the previous year, (ii) paid PAYE income tax over the previous year and (iii) claimed benefits or tax credits over the previous year.

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the statistical information on active National Insurance numbers issued to EEA citizens requested by Jonathan Portes under the Freedom of Information Act on 2 December 2015.

Mr David Davis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral Answer by the Prime Minister, 2 March 2016, Official Report, column 946, if he will take steps to publish data on the number of active National Insurance numbers attributable to non-UK EU nationals.

Mr David Gauke: I refer the honourable members to the recent HMRC release. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-credit-statistics-on-eea-nationals

Taxation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to simplify the taxation regime.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is committed to simplifying the tax system, and so is taking forward legislation to put the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) on a permanent, statutory footing, with an expanded role and capacity. The OTS has recently published reviews on small company taxation and the closer alignment of income tax and National Insurance contributions. The Government will consider the OTS’s recommendations carefully. The topics of future OTS reviews will be announced in due course.

Pensions: Tax Allowances

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the abolition of higher-rate tax relief on pension contributions for higher-rate taxpayers.

Mr David Gauke: The Government held a consultation last year on the future of pensions tax relief. As the Chancellor announced at Autumn Statement, the Government will respond to this consultation at Budget.

Fossil Fuels: Prices

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on its studies of the steps taken by the utilities airlines and other industries in response to falling oil and gas prices; and whether the conclusions of those studies will be published.

Damian Hinds: The Treasury has engaged with industry to stress the importance of passing through wholesale cost reductions to consumers. The Treasury has produced internal studies to examine how far and how quickly the benefits of oil and price falls were fed through to consumers. We are pleased that recently the six major energy suppliers have announced cuts in their tariffs - it's a good start but there's more to do. The Government looks forward to the Provisional decision on remedies of the Competition and Markets Authority, due this month, and continues to monitor developments closely.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 25631, when he expects the investigations into the six social care companies to be concluded.

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 25631, over what time period the investigations into care sector employers took place; and how many of the employers found to be non-compliant following those investigations have been publicly named and shamed by the Government.

Mr David Gauke: If a worker believes they have not received at least the National Minimum Wage they should contact the Acas helpline in confidence on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) currently fast track for investigation any care worker direct complaints received through the Acas helpline. I refer the hon. member back to the answer provided to him to Question 25631 for HMRC's position on discussing outcomes. I further refer the hon. member back to the answer provided to him by my hon. friend the Minister for Skills (Nick Boles) for detail on naming policy, Question 8685. The most recent naming announcement from February is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-national-minimum-wage-offenders-named-and-shamed-february-2016.

Vacant Land: Taxation

Julian Knight: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment on the effect of devolving the taxation of vacant land held by developers to local authorities in England and Wales.

Mr David Gauke: The Government has not carried out an impact assessment of the effect of devolving the taxation of vacant land held by developers to local authorities in England and Wales.All taxes are kept under review, and any move to introduce such a tax or devolve responsibility to Local Authorities would have to be carefully considered. In particular, the interaction with existing taxes and incentives, the detailed design and collection, the objectives of the tax and the method (and frequency) by which land would be valued would all need careful thought

European Council

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the commitments contained in the Decision of the Heads of State or Government, meeting within the European Council, on 18 and 19 February 2016 not to create obstacles to, but facilitate such deepening of the Eurozone and to sincere cooperation with the Eurozone, create any additional legal obligations to those already contained in Article 4 (3) of the Treaty on European Union.

Mr David Gauke: No new legal obligations on the UK have been created in this regard. The Eurozone is a key trading partner for the UK and a stable, successful Eurozone economy is of vital importance to the UK’s own economic security. While the UK Government supports the Eurozone taking the steps it needs to succeed, the Prime Minister has secured a legally-binding agreement which recognises that the UK should not be forced to participate nor have its interests undermined.

Freezing of Assets: Iran

Robert Jenrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government's timetable is for the release of sanctioned Iranian assets; and what value of those assets the Government expects to release in 2016 and 2017.

Robert Jenrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the value of sanctioned Iranian assets currently held by (a) the Government and (b) any other entity within the UK.

Robert Jenrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of sanctioned Iranian assets which have been released by the Government or any other entity within the UK since the conclusion of the Iranian agreement in May 2015.

Harriett Baldwin: Financial sanctions are implemented in the United Kingdom by HM Treasury. When assets are frozen they remain where they are held and are not seized or confiscated by the government or the Treasury. As such, the government does not hold frozen assets belonging to designated Iranian or other persons subject financial sanctions. Every year the Treasury requests information from businesses on funds they hold that are frozen under financial sanctions legislation. The most recent data from September 2015 showed that there was approximately £728,450,000 of funds frozen under the Iran (non-proliferation) sanctions regime. In July 2015 the EU/E3+3 and the Islamic Republic of Iran reached a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). On 16 January 2016 the initial sanctions relief provided for under the JCPoA came into effect. Part of this relief included the lifting of the asset freeze against certain individuals and entities with frozen balances of approximately £657,830,000. Therefore approximately £70,620,000 remains frozen. The next phase of sanctions relief under the JCPoA is due on Transition Day in eight years’ time, or when the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded that all nuclear material in Iran remains in peaceful activities, whichever is earlier.

Money Laundering

Craig Whittaker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the use of money laundering services abroad by UK citizens.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government believes that money laundering is a critical enabler of both terrorism and serious and organised crime. This is why the UK’s own anti-money laundering regime contains controls and supervisory mechanisms which aim to make the UK financial system a hostile environment for illicit finances, whilst minimising the burden on legitimate businesses and reducing the overall burden of regulation. The Government expects UK citizens to comply with anti-money laundering regulations both at home and abroad and works hard, particularly through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), to improve global standards and combat money laundering.

Bradford and Bingley

Liz McInnes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the financial loss to shareholders as a consequence of the collapse of the former Bradford and Bingley Building Society/Bank in 2008.

Liz McInnes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the financial loss to investors as a consequence of the collapse of the former Bradford and Bingley Building Society/Bank in 2008.

Harriett Baldwin: In 2009 Peter Clokey of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was appointed as an independent valuer to consider whether shareholders and holders of rights associated with dated subordinated notes were entitled to compensation after the collapse of Bradford & Bingley. On 5 July 2010 he published his report setting out his determination that no compensation is due to former shareholders and bondholders. The case was referred to the Upper Tribunal who upheld the decision in 2012 and concluded that the valuer carried out his valuation function wholly in accordance with the Compensation Scheme.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Profession: Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the potential change in the level of employment in law firms arising from the changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the Autumn Statement 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government will be consulting on the detail of the proposals in due course. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

Probate: Fees and Charges

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much revenue he expects to accrue to the public purse from changes in the level of probate fees in each of the next five financial years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The information requested is set out in the published Consultation Document which can be located at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/fee-proposals-for-grants-of-probate.

Members: Correspondence

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to the letter to him of 13 January 2016 from the hon. Member for Leeds North West, relating to criminal driving.

Dominic Raab: The Secretary of State for Justice replied on 3 February 2016.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Repairs and Maintenance

Nic Dakin: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the proposed changes to the Landfill Communities Fund on the restoration and repair of listed church properties and church buildings.

Mrs Caroline Spelman: The Church of England has engaged with the recent consultation from the Treasury over the future of the Landfill Communities Fund. Local churches are able to apply to the fund to support restoration, extension and repair projects.Local parishes have benefitted from this generosity since its creation in 1996. Over its lifetime the scheme has enabled churches across the country to benefit from an approximate £75 million worth of repairs. As part of its submission the Church of England asked the Treasury to consider reducing the administrative burdens on applicants to the fund.The Church has since received assurances that the scheme will continue and we await with interest further detailed announcements from the Treasury regarding the operation of the fund.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Arts Council England

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's planned expenditure on grant-in-aid to Arts Council England is for (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Mr Edward Vaizey: DCMS secured an excellent settlement in the latest Spending Round that highlights the important contributions our sectors make in job creation, helping grow our economy, and bringing arts and culture to communities across the UK. Arts Council England's overall settlement over the Spending Review period maintains the current resource budget in cash terms - £354,042,000 in 2016/17; £350,724,000 in 2017/8; £357,593,000 in 2018/19 and £359,307,000 in 2019/20.

Arts Council England: Per Capita Costs

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much per capita Arts Council England is spending in each region in 2015-16.

Mr Edward Vaizey: In May, Arts Council England (ACE) announced they will increase the percentage of Lottery funding distributed outside London from 70% to 75% by the end of 2018; and invest over £35 million in the Ambition for Excellence fund - over £31 million of which will be spent outside London. There continues to be a shift in spending on National Portfolio funding away from London. In London, £26.02 is spent per head in 2015/16 - compared with £29.74 in 2009/10, when the Hon Member's constituents in Yorkshire received £8.00 per head, compared with £10.93 this year. The table outlines ACE investment by region, and spend per head in 2015/16:2015-16 YTDTOTALSpend per headEast£35,558,838£5.91East Midlands£28,393,349£6.12London£222,182,958£26.02North East£34,153,682£13.04North West£65,878,044£9.24South East£45,263,359£5.10South West£45,805,668£8.45West Midlands£70,442,158£12.33Yorkshire£58,586,846£10.93

Theatres: Coastal Areas

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funds and funding streams are available to member trusts for restoration of theatres in coastal areas.

David Evennett: The Theatres Trust administers the Theatres Protection Fund scheme, which provides funds to theatres in need and at risk. Theatres on the 'Heritage at Risk' Register are also able to apply for repair grants provided by Historic England.In addition, the Heritage Lottery Fund may also be able to fund wider projects relating to theatres, which could cover restoration costs.

Arts: Morecambe and Lunesdale

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department has allowed to arts groups in the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency in each of the last three years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Morecambe and Lunesdale has enjoyed record levels of funding over the past three years - £105,182 in 2013/14; £164,390 in 2014/15; and £321,295 in 2015/16 (year to date to 7th March).This investment from Arts Council England has supported a number of exciting projects, including Lancaster Arts Partnership First Fridays, the Mirrored Minds Research and Development project.

Football: Tickets

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent representations he has made to (a) the Premier League, (b) the Football League and (c) the Football Association to encourage football clubs to offer affordable tickets to supporters.

David Evennett: Ticket prices are a matter for clubs, and we therefore welcome the recent announcement by those in the Premier League to cap the price of away tickets to £30 for the next three seasons. In my regular meetings with the football authorities, I will continue to ask that all clubs keep under review ticket prices, as well as ways to ensure greater engagement in clubs by supporters

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place to ensure that child support awarded by tribunals under the pre-2012 Child Support Agency system are upheld under the post-2012 system.

Priti Patel: Tribunals do not award Child Maintenance, they direct on individual decisions.   If an individual chooses to apply to the new 2012 scheme after their case on one of the legacy schemes is closed, the rules of the 2012 scheme will apply. Clients are able to provide evidence of prior Tribunal decisions when requesting, or contesting, a new decision which will be taken into consideration where appropriate.

Universal Credit: Families

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will provide additional financial support for families with working parents who will receive less in benefits as a result of the April 2016 universal credit changes.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will provide additional financial support for workers with disabilities who will be subject to a reduction in income as a result of the universal credit changes to be introduced in April 2016.

Priti Patel: Changes to the Universal Credit work allowances are part of a wider package of measures announced in the Summer Budget. This also includes the increase to the personal tax allowance, introduction of the national living wage, and an increase in childcare support to provide for an additional 15 hours free childcare for working parents of three and four year olds from September 2017. In addition, from April 2016, we are increasing childcare support under Universal Credit from 70% to 85% of eligible childcare costs paid, up to a maximum cap.   We will be contacting Universal Credit claimants directly affected by the work allowance changes in advance to prepare them and let them know how they can access further advice and support. As well as additional work coach support, affected claimants may qualify for help from the Flexible Support Fund to help them retain work and increase their earnings.

Universal Credit: EU Nationals

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all payments of universal credit to newly-arrived EU nationals will be covered by the scheme set out in Section D of the Decision of the Heads of State or Government meeting within the European Council on 18 and 19 February 2016.

Priti Patel: As Universal Credit will replace our existing system of non-contributory in-work benefits, it will of course be covered by the scope of our new settlement in a reformed European Union.

UK Statistics Authority: Publications

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions officials of his Department have had with the UK Statistics Authority on the ad hoc release of the document, Benefit claims by EEA nationals in November 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: Departmental officials had discussions with the UK Statistics Authority on the day of publication to confirm publication. Further discussions took place shortly after publication on the methodology used.

Department for Work and Pensions: Legal Costs

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on legal costs related to the under-occupancy penalty.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government has incurred approximately £387,155 to date on legal costs associated with judicial review challenges to the under-occupancy penalty. It should be noted that this figure includes VAT where this is payable (e.g. on Counsel’s fees) and disbursements but does not include costs attributable to the time spent by Government advisory lawyers, as time spent by such advisory lawyers is not recorded in a manner that allows it to be attributed to individual cases. This figure does not include all of Counsel’s fees incurred in relation to the Supreme Court hearing of MA & Others/A and Rutherford v the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (29 February to 2 March) which have not yet been billed.

Jobcentre Plus: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been received about services at (a) Penarth and (b) Cardiff Jobcentre Plus in the last 12 months; and what the general subjects of those complaints were.

Priti Patel: In the last 12 months 8, 34 and 88 complaints have been received at Penarth Jobcentre, Alexander House Jobcentre, Cardiff and Charles Street Jobcentre, Cardiff, respectively. The general subjects of complaints were: the relevance of information provided; whether claimants were treated with respect; the fairness of DWP policies; accessibility of the Department’s systems and services; whether it took too long to deliver the service and whether the Department got it wrong.

Pensions: Females

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on the financial situation of women of their not being notified about changes introduced by the Pensions Act 1995.

Justin Tomlinson: The 1995 Act started the process of equalising the state pension age of women by phasing in the rise of the retirement age from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020. Changes were communicated by means of State Pension estimates issued to individuals on request since 1995, as well as through a DWP pensions education campaign in 2004. Since April 2000 more than 11.5 million personalised statements have been issued. A 2004 DWP report, Public Awareness of State Pension Age Equalisation, reported its survey findings that 73% of those aged 45 to 54 at the time were aware of the changes to women’s State Pension age.   Following the Pensions Act 2011 the Government wrote to all those directly affected to inform them of the changes to their State Pension age. Research published in 2007 by the DWP showed that, in 2006, 86 per cent of women aged 55-64 and 90 per cent aged 45-54 were aware that the State Pension age would increase in future.   A number of changes to the State Pension with impacts on state pension outcomes have been implemented since the introduction of the Pensions Act 1995. The Pensions Act 2007 introduced beneficial changes to the entitlement conditions for State Pension, which were estimated to result in 75 per cent of women reaching State Pension age in 2010 being entitled to a full basic State Pension compared to only 30 per cent in 2007.   The Pensions Act 2014 introduces the new State Pension from April 2016, available to women born on or after 6 April 1953. Around 650,000 women reaching State Pension age in the first ten years will receive an average of £8 per week (in 2014/15 earnings terms) more due to the new State Pension valuation of their National Insurance record. By 2030, over 3 million women will stand to benefit by an average of £11 per week.   Independent analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown that the rise in women’s State Pension age since 2010 has been accompanied by increases in employment rates for the women affected. For those who are unemployed, or unable to work, working age benefits are still available.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

EU External Trade: Canada

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to obtain a special status for UK agricultural products from specific geographical origin within the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

George Eustice: Negotiations on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) concluded in 2014 and the agreement is expected to come into force in early 2017. CETA represents a good outcome for the UK. Economic analysis suggests the UK could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this agreement. Our most important GI (Geographic Indication) product, Scotch Whisky, will receive greater protection in the market and the agreement removes both tariff and non-tariff barriers to British food and drink exports to Canada. We will be working with the EU Commission, other Member States, the UK food industry and trade organisations to extend GI recognition under CETA for EU protected food name products not included in the initial negotiating list. In particular for UK products where exports to Canada have substantially increased since the CETA negotiations started in 2011.

Flood Control: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans and funding her Department has for projects to prevent flooding of the River Lune in the Lancaster and Morecambe area.

Rory Stewart: In Morecambe, Lancaster City Council will soon complete a £10 million Government funded scheme, which will reduce the coastal flood risk to more than 8,000 properties. Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and the Environment Agency are currently developing a business case which will investigate the potential of a new scheme to reduce flood risk within the city of Lancaster.

Food: Waste

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward proposals to require supermarkets to donate unsold food to charities.

Rory Stewart: The Government welcomes the redistribution of good quality surplus food to charities that can make sure it goes to people rather than going to waste.Based on our experience, a simple law would not fix the barriers to redistribution. We need to look at the bigger picture. The retail sector is responsible for 210,000 tonnes of the total 4.1m tonnes of food waste in the food and drink supply chain, so we need the whole chain to work together.Instead, we favour a voluntary approach. Signatories to the voluntary Courtauld Commitment with industry have reported a 74% increase between 2012 and end 2014, and we expect it to increase further.We expect the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to launch a new agreement, Courtauld 2025, later this month. The new agreement will take a whole food supply chain approach, and will build on the progress we have already made.

Pollution Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's Single departmental plan: 2015 to 2020, published in February 2016, what changes are expected in exposure to (a) nitrogen dioxide and (b) PM2.5 by 2017.

Rory Stewart: In December last year Defra published new plans setting out how the UK Government intends to improve air quality and meet the requirements of the ambient air quality Directive for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the shortest possible time. Our ambition, as set out in the plans, is for the UK to have some of the very best air quality in the world. Improving air quality in our towns and cities will reduce exposure for a large number of people and have a positive impact in reducing adverse health effects. For all UK zones we assess compliance annually for a range of pollutants covered by European air quality directives, including PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide. All limit values, other than those for NO2, are currently met. The results are published in the annual Air Pollution in the UK compliance reports, which are made available on the UK-Air website: http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/

Nature Conservation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of protected sites on land in England are in (a) favourable and (b) unfavourable but recovering condition; and what progress is being made on restoring sites in unfavourable condition.

Rory Stewart: Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are the country's very best wildlife and geological sites. There are over 4,000 SSSIs in England covering around 8% of the country's land area. Information on the proportion of SSSI land in England that is in (a) favourable and (b) unfavourable but recovering condition is available through Gov.UK: www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-areas-sites-of-special-scientific-interest During the current financial year the proportion of land in favourable condition has increased from 37.6% to 38.5% (as at 8 March) with a further 57% in unfavourable but recovering condition. This is due to successful conservation management by farmers, foresters and other land managers with support principally through agri-environment schemes.

Agriculture: Apprenctices

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many apprenticeship starts in the food and farming sector her Department estimates there will be in each of the next five academic years.

George Eustice: We aim to treble the number of apprenticeships started annually in food and farming from about 6,000 now to 18,000 by 2020. Defra will work closely with the Apprenticeship Delivery Board and the National Apprenticeship Service to support employers in the sector to engage successfully with apprenticeships. The introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017 is expected to provide an opportunity for growth in apprenticeships.

Water: Pollution Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's Single departmental plan: 2015 to 2020, published in February 2016, what targets she has set for the number of kilometres of fresh water to be enhanced in each year to 2020; and how her Department plans to achieve those targets.

Rory Stewart: River Basin Management Plans provide the framework for protecting and improving the water environment. Updated Plans covering the period 2016 to 2021 were published by the Environment Agency (EA) on 18 February. They complement Defra’s 25 Year Environment Plan by promoting integrated catchment management of water and local decision-making, as well as contributing to flood resilience. The Plans for England confirm over £3 billion investment in the water environment by 2021 leading to improvements in at least 680 water bodies by 2021, including an overall target to enhance at least 8,000km of fresh waters by 2021. The EA is currently working with Defra to profile the delivery of this target over the six years that the River Basin Management Plan covers, and are also working with partners to explore opportunities to deliver more. The EA coordinates action by water companies, farmers, local groups, businesses and councils to achieve the targets set out in the Plans. These actions include reducing pollution from sewage treatment works, managing water abstraction, opening up rivers to salmon and other fish species, and improvements to the physical habitat.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the reasons are for late payments being made under the Basic Payment Scheme by the Rural Payments Agency; and how many farmers have received late payments to date.

George Eustice: The payment window for the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme runs from 1 December 2015 to 30 June 2016. While in recent years, the RPA has been able to make a higher proportion of payments earlier in the payment window, the new CAP is very complex and has created new administrative burdens for the RPA.  As of 2 March 2016 some 71,700 claimants, representing over 82% of all eligible claims, have received their payments, bringing the total paid to date for the 2015 scheme to £1.13 billion.

Floods

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness of Flood Re and (b) whether her Department's long-term strategy fund for flood defences has been distributed fairly.

Rory Stewart: Flood Re began its operational testing phase in July 2015. The Flood Re Board expect to be ready to accept policies from April 2016, once it is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Once operational, Flood Re will be accountable directly to Parliament and be reviewed at least every five years. The allocation of Government Grant in Aid for projects in the long term capital programme uses Defra’s Partnership Funding approach which ensures a fair allocation for projects throughout the country. Funding is potentially available for any project where the benefits of the scheme are greater than the cost and are allocated based on outcomes (economic damages avoided and number of households protected), rather than a percentage of the costs. This approach secures value for money for the taxpayer, ensures that a fair share is available for all projects over time and that flood management is not limited to what central Government alone can afford.

Floods: Building Regulations

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the possibility of changing building regulations in flood-prone areas to enable buildings to be constructed in such a way as to mitigate some of the effects of flooding.

Rory Stewart: The current building regulations already enable the incorporation of flood resilience measures into building work. Under building regulations Approved Document C (site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture) the use of flood resilience measures, such as adequate sub-soil drainage, sewer non-return valves, anti-flooding devices and water resistant construction material is encouraged. We continue to promote better resilience and remain very open to hearing of any innovations in this field.

Floods: Housing

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to increase public awareness of potential flood risk for home-buyers.

Rory Stewart: Maps showing flood risk are available on the Gov.uk website, allowing home buyers to check whether a property they are considering purchasing is at risk of flooding. Individuals can search by postcode and later this year the Environment Agency (EA) is introducing the ability to search by a specific address. The EA also share this flood risk data with companies that produce home buyers reports, and approximately 400,000 property reports are produced annually that include this data. Much of this data is already available as Open Data and several third party applications have already been developed that encourage public awareness. The EA is releasing more information by the end of June 2016, to encourage further growth and development of similar public awareness raising applications.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Disclosure of Information

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will extend her Department's OpenDefra initiative to the Rural Payments Agency and Land Registry.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make maps of UK land ownership available as open data as part of her Department's OpenDefra initiative.

George Eustice: The OpenDefra initiative extends to the whole of Defra including the Rural Payments Agency. The initiative does not extend to the Land Registry. The Rural Land Register, the Land Management System that has replaced it, or other systems maintained by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), do not look to establish land ownership. The RPA is required to maintain information on land use, in England because land use, and the entitlement to use it, is one of the determining factors in relation to eligibility to claim funds that RPA validates. We are currently reviewing, the Data Protection Act, confidentiality of information held and intellectual property rights to determine whether information on land use can be released under the open data initiative.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Refugees

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure refugees who arrive in the UK (a) are effectively integrated into local communities and (b) do not place a burden on local authorities.

Richard Harrington: The United Kingdom has a long and proud tradition of providing safe haven to those who genuinely need our protection. People granted refugee status are given access to the labour market and to benefits; in addition, an integration loan is available to help new refugees to integrate into UK society by offering financial support towards housing costs, employment and training.Since 2010 we have provided over £50 million to support integration projects and activities which treat people as equal British citizens and build stronger communities where everyone can live and work successfully alongside each other.We are working with those local authorities who have agreed to receive Syrian refugees to build systems that can meet the needs of more people more quickly whilst minimising the impact on local communities. At the Spending Review the Government committed £129 million to assist with local authority costs over years 2-5 of the scheme. The first 12 months of a refugee’s resettlement costs are fully funded by central government using the overseas aid budget.

Housing: Morecambe and Lunesdale

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications for new homes or conversions of existing buildings have been made in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since June 2015.

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not collect information on the number of planning applications by parliamentary constituency.However it collects the numbers of decisions made at a local planning authority level. In the six months to 31 December 2015 Lancaster City Council, within which the hon, Member's constituency falls, has made decisions on applications for:- 18 major residential developments- 27 minor residential developments- Permitted development rights for one ‘office to residential’ scheme and nine ‘agricultural to residential’ schemes

Housing Estates: Regeneration

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Prime Minister's announcement of 10 January 2016, Prime Minister pledges to transform sink estates, what progress has been made since that announcement on the estates regeneration programme.

Brandon Lewis: Work has progressed well since the announcement. The Advisory Panel, which the noble Lord, the rt. hon. Lord Heseltine and I jointly chair, has been set up and is already engaging with the key issues and will be undertaking a planned programme of site visits across the country. The Government has issued a Statement inviting expressions of interest from prospective estates; proposals are being received and considered by the Government’s advisory team.

Housing Estates: Regeneration

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Prime Minister's announcement of 10 January 2016, Prime Minister pledges to transform sink estates, by what process local authorities will be able to obtain funding for estates regeneration under that initiative.

Brandon Lewis: The Government issued a Statement on 23 February, inviting expressions of interest from prospective estates across the country and enabling us to engage with prospective schemes. A more formal arrangement for accessing the £140 million loan fund, and for assessing bids into that fund, will be set in train in due course. The Statement can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estates-regeneration-statement

European Regional Development Fund

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding for investment has been made available for local authorities through the European Regional Development Fund during the 2014 to 2020 programme.

James Wharton: England has been allocated €3.6 billion (approximately £2.6 billion) through the 2014-20 European Regional Development Fund Programme.No funding has been specifcially ring-fenced for local authority areas. Local authorities are able to respond to open calls for projects and compete alongside other potential funding receipients.

Council Tax

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28942, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to people who pay council tax of that tax in (a) England and (b) each region of England in (i) 2016-17 and (ii) 2017-18.

Mr Marcus Jones: Council tax decisions are a matter for individual local authorities and we have not made estimates of council tax in individual areas for future years.

Council Tax

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 26101, what the evidential basis is for the statement that even if all authorities increase by the maximum under the referendum principles, council tax will be lower in 2019-20 in real terms compared to 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: The basis for this statement is calculating what the maximum that the England average council tax bills would be if all local authorities chose to increase by the maximum under the 2016-17 referendum principles. Plus what the increases would be if the same referendum principles applied for the years up to 2019-20. The maximum that the average bill could be is adjusted to 2010-11 prices using the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast of the Consumer Price Index.

Local Plans

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have (a) an adopted local plan in place, (b) a local plan found sound by the planning inspectorate but not yet adopted, (c) a plan that has been submitted but not yet assessed by the planning inspectorate and (d) a plan published but not yet submitted for inspection.

Brandon Lewis: As of 29 February 2016 (a) 237 authorities had an adopted local plan in place, (b) 1 authority had a local plan that had been found sound by the planning inspectorate but not yet adopted, (c) 29 authorities had plans that have been submitted but not yet assessed by the planning inspectorate and (d) 17 authorities had published a plan but not yet submitted it for inspection.We have committed to publishing league tables, setting out local authorities’ progress on providing a plan for the jobs and homes needed locally. Last month we set out our intention to publish this information from summer 2016, on a six monthly basis, further details of our proposals can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/implementation-of-planning-changes-technical-consultation.

Unitary Councils

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what applications for unitary authority status his Department has received in the last year.

Mr Marcus Jones: Whilst we understand a number of local areas are considering moving to unitary structures, we have over the last year received no applications for unitary status, which in future will be considered under the provisions of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Cleaning Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

David Mundell: For cleaning services the Scotland Office uses contracts through frameworks held by the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government. The Scotland Office does not set the wages paid by the contractors to its workers. Both contractors pay the national minimum wage, £6.70 per hour. From April, both contractors will increase their rate of pay to £7.20 in line with the new national minimum wage.

UK Membership of EU: Scotland

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential for a further independence referendum in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

David Mundell: I have had no discussions with the Scottish Government on this subject and do not expect to do so. A clear majority of voters in Scotland voted No in the independence referendum in 2014. That referendum was widely accepted to be a ‘once in a generation’ or ‘once in a lifetime’ event. At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

UK Membership of EU

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, which external organisations officials in his Department have met to discuss the potential consequences of the UK leaving the EU in each of the last three years; and how many meetings such officials have had with each such organisation.

David Mundell: Scotland Office officials have not held any such meetings. At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Department of Energy and Climate Change: Car Allowances

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2016 to Question 26815, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of paid car allowances.

Andrea Leadsom: Please note: this list excludes those in receipt of the essential car user allowance (29 people as of 23 February). This is allocated to those that require considerable business travel at a particular point in time, where a car is the most appropriate and cost efficient form of transport. The job titles will therefore vary.The job titles of those in receipt of paid car allowances are in the attached.



DECC - car allowances
(PDF Document, 19.44 KB)

Solar Power: Redundancy

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to her oral contribution of 2 March 2016 to the Ninth Delegated Legislation Committee on the draft Renewables Obligation Closure Etc. (Amendment) Order 2016, what the evidential basis is for the statement that, with reference to the solar industry, it is not true to say that there are thousands of job losses and that there will be thousands more.

Andrea Leadsom: We see a strong future for solar PV in the UK. In order to support the path to subsidy-free solar deployment, we have decided to keep the Feed-in-Tariff scheme open, and expect that the scheme could support 15,000-23,000 jobs in the sector. There will continue to be jobs in the operation and maintenance of existing solar installations. We also expect subsidy-free solar to be an increasingly attractive option. Lightsource, the biggest solar developer in the UK, have said publically that they will be installing and connecting subsidy-free sites in 2016. Support for solar comes directly from people's bills, so when costs come down, so should support. Therefore we have taken steps to control the costs of support schemes and put solar on a path to delivering without subsidy.

Cabinet Office

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

David Mackintosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps are being taken to increase voter engagement with the upcoming European referendum.

John Penrose: The Government is committed to helping ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote in polls is able to do so. The introduction of online registration makes it easier, simpler and faster for people to register to vote. The Government is working with organisations, including Operation Black Vote and Citizens UK, which represent under registered groups to develop solutions to ensure that as many people as possible are able to have their say at the ballot box.Voter engagement is also influenced by factors such as whether electors feel the poll offers a clear choice on an issue which matters greatly to them and on the energy and effectiveness of the political campaigns behind each side of the debate. These are not under Government's direct control, but we hope that the decision to hold the referendum in the first place, as promised in our election manifesto, will nonetheless help.

Elections: Young People

David Mackintosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps are being taken to encourage youth engagement in (a) national and (b) local elections.

John Penrose: The Government is committed to maximising electoral registration to help ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote in polls is able to do so. The introduction of online voter registration has made it easier, simpler and faster to register to vote. Since its launch in June 2014, 3.6 million people aged 16-24 have applied to register to vote, with 2.6 million applications online.The Government has worked with youth organisations such NUS and UK Youth to deliver activities to engage people in the democratic process.In addition, The Government has previously funded ​the ​British Youth Council to deliver ​Youth Voice activities including the ​UK Youth Parliament and the associated 'Make Your Mark' ballot.The ballot led to nearly a million young people, aged 11 to 18, voting in this UK wide ballot; a record turnout. This decided the issues debated at UK Youth Parliament, including mental health, a living wage and tackling religious discrimination.The Government has committed​ to support​ the Youth​​ Parliament and associated activities​ for the remainder of the Parliament until 2020.​

Commission on Freedom of Information: Publications

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the media was briefed on the contents of the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information's report prior to that report being made available to hon. Members.

Matthew Hancock: The report of the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information was received on 29 February and published with the Government’s response on 1 March [Hansard ref HCWS566]

Cabinet Office: Ministers' Private Offices

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials work in his private office.

Matthew Hancock: The government publishes information on the job titles and pay grades of senior civil servants along with the numbers of staff they manage on a twice yearly basis. Information for all my office will be published in the next set of data.

Cabinet Office: Health Insurance

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 26811, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of subsidised health insurance.

Matthew Hancock: There are fewer than 5 staff in receipt of subsidised health insurance and disclosing the job titles of those in receipt of subsidised health insurance may lead to the identification of the individuals.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials in his Department have responsibility for examining the resilience of the UK's infrastructure.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office role on infrastructure resilience is focused on providing a co-ordination and assurance function for infrastructure resilience. Other departments have staff working directly on infrastructure resilience according to sector.There are currently fifteen officials in the Cabinet Office who spend a significant amount of their time working on infrastructure resilience.

Commission on Freedom of Information: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of his Department provided support to the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information.

Matthew Hancock: The Commission was supported by a small secretariat which comprised of one full time secondee from the Cabinet Office and two secondees from the Ministry of Justice, all of whom are below the Senior Civil Service. In addition, adhoc administrative support was provided on request.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of his Department have specific policy responsibility for freedom of information.

Matthew Hancock: I refer the hon Member to the Cabinet Office organogram: https://data.gov.uk/organogram/cabinet-office.

Lobbying

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether local authorities will be required to seek specific permission from Ministers in the Department for Communities and Local Government if they wish to provide an exemption from the anti-advocacy clause in a grant agreement.

Matthew Hancock: The new clause applies to all central government grants. We expect that exemptions will be rare and these will need to be approved by the relevant Minister.

Lobbying

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason no formal consultation was issued on the introduction of an anti-advocacy clause into grant agreements.

Matthew Hancock: At present there are insufficient checks and balances to make sure that taxpayers funds are not being diverted away from their intended purpose and wasted on political campaigning and political lobbying. This clause has been successfully piloted by the Department for Communities and Local Government for the last year, without any adverse effect on grant recipients’ ability to campaign using their own funds.

National Lottery: Grants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to require National Lottery distributors to include conditions relating to advocacy when they deliver funding on behalf of government departments.

Matthew Hancock: The new clause is applicable to exchequer-funded grants, whether awarded direct or via an Arm’s Length Body.

Cabinet Office: Facebook

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on advertisements using Facebook in each of the last three years.

Matthew Hancock: Cabinet Office did not spend anything in 2013/14 on Facebook advertising. In 2014/15 there was a total of £17,511.16 spent by Cabinet Office on Facebook advertising. Fully auditable figures are not available for the 2015/16. All figures include VAT.

Cabinet Office: Google

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on advertisements with Google in each of the last three years.

Matthew Hancock: Cabinet Office spent £107,896.25 on Google advertising in 2013/14. Cabinet Office did not spend anything on Google advertising in 2014/15. Fully auditable figures are not yet available for 2015/16. All figures include VAT.

Public Appointments: Equality

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2016 to Question 28518, on public appointments: ethnic groups, if he will publish the list of attendees at the event held by his Department in February 2016.

Matthew Hancock: The Public Appointments event I hosted on 25 February was aimed at encouraging people from under represented groups to apply for Public Appointments. The Centre for Public Appointments at the Cabinet Office worked with a range of contacts and organisations that champion diversity in senior appointments to compile a guest list.It would not be appropriate to publish a list of attendees as they have not consented to their details being published in this way.

Government Departments: Senior Civil Servants

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of Senior Civil Servants in each department in each year since 2010.

Matthew Hancock: The number of Senior Civil Servants serving in each department in each year from 2010 to date, is set out in the table below:Centrally Managed SCS by Main Department (2010-2015)DepartmentQ1 2010Q1 2011Q1 2012Q1 2013Q1 2014Q1 2015Q3 2015BIS217267254263273265255CO213233208214238281284DCLG1221209984849088DCMS41363524344446DECC6686100105121109111DEFRA174161145143143133127DfE120121168155139139147DfID95797983808180DfT227185173174198174174DH392370312383393406396DWP381325275296258259266FCO59545658677877HMRC391362360319313325342HMT159106105979494106Home Office237208198199196224220MoD275266227227219236248MoJ290241200200199198213SG270238215225227230222WG147125118137155155152Other477329289309370456463Total4353391236163695380139774017 Source: SCS DatabaseNotes: FCO does not include the Diplomatic Service as they are not part of the Centrally Managed Senior Civil ServiceFigures also do not include a number of health professionals and military personnel that work at a senior level that are not part of the Centrally Managed Senior Civil Service Caution is advised when interpreting changes at a departmental level due to the following Machinery of Government changes over the period that have moved into and out of departments:Office of Government Commerce moved from HMT to Cabinet Office in June 2010Government Equalities Office moved into Home Office in April 2011 and to DCMS in Q1 2013Directgov transferred from DWP to Cabinet Office in June 2010Buying Solutions moved from HMT to Cabinet Office in June 2010Postcomm (BIS) were abolished in October 2011The Better Regulation Delivery Office moved from the wider public sector into BIS in Q2 2012Ordnance Survey moved from DCLG to BIS in July 2011 and left the Civil Service in April 2015Land Registry moved from MoJ to BIS in July 2011Met Office moved from MoD to BIS in July 2011Fire Service College (DCLG) was abolished in February 2013Standards and Testing Agency (DfE) was created in October 2011Education Funding Agency and the National College and Teaching Agency (DfE) were created in April 2012A number of Probation Trusts staff moved from the wider public sector to MoJ in June 2014Public Health England (DH) was created in April 2013Legal Aid Agency (MoJ) was created in April 2013National Crime Agency was created in October 2013Criminal Records Bureau (Home Office) left the Civil Service in December 2012The Asset Protection Agency (HMT) was abolished in October 2012Competition Commission moved from the wider public sector into the Office of Fair Trading in April 2014 to become Competition and Markets AuthorityPart of the Defence Support Group (MoD) was privatised and left the Civil Service in April 2015The Food and Environment Research Agency (DEFRA) left the Civil Service in April 2015Government Internal Audit Agency (HMT) was established in April 2015Highways Agency (DfT) left the Civil Service in April 2015

Government Departments: Internet

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of internet service provision across all Government departments in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: The information requested is not held centrally, departments have responsibility for their own Internet service provision.

Cabinet Office: Atos Origin

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many of the contracts with ATOS listed on his Department's website are live and ongoing.

Matthew Hancock: Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015, including those awarded to Atos, can be viewed at http://ow.ly/WHYGl. Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at http://ow.ly/WHZ3k.Atos is a supplier on seven frameworks listed on the Crown Commercial Service website, all of which are live and ongoing:http://ccs-agreements.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

Government Departments: Correspondence

Royston Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average cost is to a government department of replying by letter to hon. Members raising matters of policy or casework.

Matthew Hancock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 March 2016 to UIN: 28897.

Department for Education

Schools: Fires

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Schools of 22 October 2015, Official Report, column 457WH, what plans her Department has to consult on a revised Building Bulletin 100.

Edward Timpson: It has not yet been decided what further review or consultation is necessary on the revised Building Bulletin 100 (Fire Safety in Schools) before publication.

Schools: Admissions

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to increase school capacity and alleviate pressure on secondary schools for additional places.

Edward Timpson: Local authorities are responsible for ensuring sufficient school places in their area, and supporting them to do this is one of the Government’s top priorities. That’s why we have committed to investing £23 billion in school buildings up to 2021, to create 600,000 new school places, open 500 free schools and address essential maintenance needs.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent on mindfulness in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold information about the amount of money spent on mindfulness in primary or secondary schools.Schools are free to provide the support they feel is most appropriate for their pupils, based on their pupils’ needs.

Schools: Finance

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to announce the successful bids for the Condition Improvement Fund for 2016-17.

Edward Timpson: The deadline for applications to the Condition Improvement Fund 2016-2017 was 16 December. All applications are now being assessed and moderated against the published criteria to ensure that those with the greatest need receive funding We expect to announce successful projects by the end of March 2016.

Bengali Language: Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will require the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA, AQA and Edexcel examinations boards to offer GCSE and A-level Bengali examinations beyond September 2018; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Exam boards are independent organisations and the department continues to work closely with them to secure the future of all the existing GCSEs and A levels in less-taught languages, including Bengali.

Pupils: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were registered in Bassetlaw in (a) year 6 in primary schools and (b) year 11 in secondary schools in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The number of year 6 pupils in primary schools and year 11 pupils in secondary schools in the Bassetlaw constituency for each of the last 10 years were as follows:Number of pupils on roll in schools in Bassetlaw, 2006-2015 [1]YearNumber of Year 6 Pupils in state-funded primary schools [2]Number of Year 11 pupils in state-funded secondary schools [2]2006 [3]1,1431,0912007 [3]1,1321,1632008 [3]1,0881,1632009 [3]1,1211,0462010 [3]1,0751,0302011 [3]1,0481,0292012 [3]94398320131,001970201499495920151,013906[1] Includes sole and dual main registered pupils, as at January each year[2] Includes middle schools as deemed[3] Number of pupils by year group not available. Pupils aged 10 at 31 August previous year used as a proxy for Year 6 pupils, and pupils aged 15 at 31 August previous year used as proxy for year 11 pupils.

Sex and Relationship Education

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to update existing sex and relationships education guidance.

Edward Timpson: This Government wants to provide all young people with a curriculum for life, which prepares them to succeed in modern Britain. High quality teaching of PSHE is central to this. The Secretary of State wrote to the ESC in February 2016 stating that the Department will continue to keep the status of PSHE in the curriculum under review. We have asked leading head teachers and practitioners to produce an action plan for improving PSHE. We will work with these experts to identify further action we can take to ensure that all pupils receive high quality, age appropriate PSHE and SRE. We welcome the supplementary advice for schools, ‘Sex and relationships education (SRE) for the 21st century’, published by the PSHE Association, the Sex Education Forum, and Brook. This addresses changes in technology and legislation since 2000, in particular equipping teachers to help protect children and young people from inappropriate online content, and from online bullying, harassment and exploitation.

Sex and Relationship Education

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the penultimate paragraph of her letter to the Education Committee of 10 February 2016 , on personal, social, health and economic education (PHSE) and sex and relationships education, which (a) headteachers, (b) PSHE practitioners and (c) other experts her Department is working with to identify further action.

Edward Timpson: The group of headteachers and practitioners that we are currently working with includes Carl Ward of Haywood Academy in Stoke on Trent; Cathie Paine of the Reach2 Academy Trust; Jerry Rayner of Rugby Independent School in Warwickshire; Michelle Colledge-Smith of the Outwood Grange Academy Trust; and Vanessa Ogden of Mulberry School in Bethnal Green.We want to draw on expertise from a range of headteachers and practitioners and will invite others to join the group as appropriate. The Department regularly speaks to a wide range of stakeholders and will continue to do so regarding PSHE.

Children in Care: Asylum

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers who were aged 19, 20 or 21 in the years ending 31 March (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 were former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Edward Timpson: Data on the number of care leavers aged 19 to 21 years is published in table F1 of the statistical first release ‘Children looked after, including care leavers and adoption’[1].Data is not published on the number of care leavers who were formerly unaccompanied asylum seeking children.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2014-to-2015

Extracurricular Activities

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's consultation on out-of school education settings, launched on 26 November 2015, how many consultation responses were received (a) in favour of and (b) opposing the consultation proposals; and by which date she expects her Department to publish its response to that consultation.

Edward Timpson: The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment without exposure to hateful and extremist views that undermine British values. The call for evidence on out-of-school education settings was launched on 26 November 2015 and ran for six and a half weeks closing on 11 January 2016 Around 3,000 people completed the published response form, either online or manually. The Department for Education received a significant number of further representations to the consultation by email and post. All responses and representations are being logged, analysed and verified In line with Cabinet Office guidance, we will be publishing a response to the consultation in due course.

Department of Health

Members: Correspondence

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to respond to the letter from the Right hon. Member for Enfield North, dated 28 January 2016, on the Enfield Clinical Commissioning Group.

Jane Ellison: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health responded to the Rt hon. Member’s letter on 25 February.

Cancer: Drugs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 21 September 2015 to Question HL2285, what progress Public Health England has made on making the Systemic Anticancer Therapy dataset publicly available; what the timetable is for that dataset being fully accessible; and whether he plans that the dataset will be used to collect data on patient outcomes for treatment funded through the new Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: Public Health England (PHE) is working to making data collected as part of the Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) dataset available through its Office for Data Release function by summer 2016. The absolute priority of PHE is to maintain patient confidentiality and therefore data will only be released to external parties in a format that does not compromise patient confidentiality either directly or by inference. NHS England is currently working closely with PHE on a proposition which will enable the SACT dataset to be used to collect data on patient outcomes for treatment funded through the new Cancer Drugs Fund. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is working closely with NHS England to support the new way of working for the Cancer Drugs Fund from 1 April 2016 and the NICE Technology Appraisal process and methods will be considered by the NICE Board at their next meeting on 16 March 2016. We do not have any information on whether the dataset used by PHE will be used to collect data on patient outcomes for treatment funded through the new Cancer Drugs Fund.

Naloxone

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 17278, what progress Public Health England has made on investigating the use of Office for National Statistics data on drug-related deaths to assess the impact of increased naloxone availability; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: In October 2015 Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency changed medicines regulations to widen the availability of naloxone. Public Health England provided advice on local implementation. Drug poisioning deaths – which include drug misuse deaths – are published annually by the Office for National Statistics. These statistics are for deaths registered in each year. Since there are often delays in registering drug-related deaths, it is likely to be some time before we can meaningfully assess what impact the wider availability of naloxone has made on the numbers of drug related deaths.

Diabetes: Southampton

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure diabetes (a) care and (b) information provided by Southampton City CCG is responsive and relevant to the needs of the patient.

Jane Ellison: We are advised by NHS England that the Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) commissions diabetes services in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines across primary, community and secondary care. All services are regularly reviewed and service providers are required to report service level data to ensure that the provision is meeting the NICE quality standards. We understand this will include service access data and patient reported satisfaction. The CCG commissions an integrated pathway of diabetes care of which 80% is delivered in primary care. We are also informed that the Diabetes Community Team provides support into primary care and sees more complex patients as appropriate, it also provides professional education and training and structured education for patients which is in line with the NICE guidelines. NHS England advises that the Southampton City CCG’s acute in-patient team provides care for those admitted into hospital with more acute needs and also provides appropriate out-patient services, professional education and support for patients who access the insulin pump service. Additionally, in April 2016 the CCG advises it will be implementing a new integrated foot care pathway that will meet the needs of those with low, moderate and increased risk of foot complications and for those with active foot disease. In regards to providing people with diabetes with information to improve self-management and promote better health and wellbeing, the CCG confirms it works closely with organisations such as Diabetes UK in order to do this. The CCG has engaged with local patients, more recently this engagement has focused on the foot care provision, building on the evidence from the Patient Experience of Diabetes Services Survey in 2013.

Mental Health Services: Children

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued to healthcare professionals involved with children with mental health problems on whether they have a responsibility to inform parents that their child may be eligible for disability living allowance.

Alistair Burt: The Department of Health has not issued guidance to healthcare professionals on informing parents of their children’s eligibility for disability living allowance. The Department for Work and Pensions provides information on benefits, including Disability Living Allowance (DLA), in a range of formats at: www.gov.uk This includes information relating to DLA for children and includes links to benefit eligibility calculators that will signpost the user to further information about DLA for children.

Pharmacy: Rural Areas

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of the Government's proposals for community pharmacies on rural communities.

Alistair Burt: Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population. The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public. We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and others, including patient and public representatives, on our proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course. This will include the impact on rural communities.

Electronic Cigarettes

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department offers e-cigarettes on prescription or at a reduced price to people living in deprived areas.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have stopped smoking cigarettes because they have switched to e-cigarettes in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: Prescriptions for e-cigarettes will be charged like any other medication and normal exemption arrangements will apply including for those on low incomes. In August 2015 Public Health England published a report that outlined evidence that e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking. Data from local stop smoking services shows that 2/3 of smokers are successful in their quit attempts when combining e-cigarettes with behavioural support. Data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests in 2015 there were 2.6 million e-cigarette users of which nearly 2 out of 5 no longer smoked tobacco products. This data is available at ASH ‘Use of electronic cigarettes (vapourisers) among adults in Great Britain’, 2015. http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_891.pdf

Doctors: Training

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the number of doctors under training per year is capped.

Ben Gummer: The Government makes a significant investment in educating and training doctors. Health Education England has oversight in determining overall medical place numbers as we only fund places for the numbers of doctors we will need to work in the National Health Service in the future.

Health Services

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to use big data in healthcare.

George Freeman: The pace of technological advance and digitisation of healthcare is transforming the way healthcare systems use data and informatics to provide individual care, system safety and performance, and research for new treatments and cures. The Government is committed to complete the digitisation of the National Health Service and, through the National Information Board and implementation of the Personalised Health and Care 2020 Strategy, to deliver a series of important digital milestones on the road to a paperless NHS by 2020. The Health and Social Care Information Centre has set up a new Centre of Excellence for big data and data science under the Government’s Data Science Programme to support the use of big data and data science. Patient trust, confidentiality and consent is crucial to delivering the better use of data which is why the Government has commissioned Dame Fiona Caldicott to advise on the right approach to patient consent and ensuring confidentiality.

Everolimus

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to make the drug Everolimus available for the treatment of patients with tuberous sclerosis; and when that drug will be available on the NHS.

George Freeman: The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group recommendation relating to the clinical policy statement for using Everolimus to treat Angiomyolipomas was discussed at the Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group meeting on 9 March. The outcome of this meeting will be shared as soon as it is available. A full clinical policy for the use of Everolimus for subependymal giant cell astrocytoma is currently out for public consultation. This policy proposition will be considered for investment in the annual prioritisation round in June 2016.

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28945, what the statistics referred to in that question were for (a) Barnet Hospital, (b) Chase Farm Hospital and (c) Royal Free Hospital.

Jane Ellison: Data on accident and emergency (A&E) attendances, emergency admissions, and performance against the A&E waiting time standard is not published for individual hospital sites. The data is published at trust level only, and this information is available at the links provided in the response to question 28945.

Drugs: Side Effects

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many instances of adverse reactions have been reported under the Yellow Card Scheme; and what the nature of the reaction reported was in the case of (a) dabigatran, (b) rivaroxaban and (c) apixaban.

George Freeman: Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme. The scheme collects suspected ADR reports from the whole of the United Kingdom in relation to all medicines and vaccines. Reporting to the Yellow Card Scheme is voluntary for healthcare professionals and members of the public. There is also a legal obligation for pharmaceutical companies to report all serious ADRs for their products that they are aware of. The table below provides the number of UK suspected spontaneous ADR reports received via the Yellow card Scheme in association with each drug substance as requested. The information in the table shows the number of UK spontaneous suspected ADR reports in association with Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban and Apixaban up to and including 7 March 2016.Drug substanceNumber of reportsDabigatran1,552Rivaroxaban3,291Apixaban900  A full list of the type and number of reactions, broken down by the reaction term, is publically available for each medicine on the MHRA website. It is important to note that Yellow Card reports are not proof of a side effect occurring due to the medicine but only a suspicion by the reporter that the medicine may have caused the side effect. Yellow Card reports may therefore relate to true side effects of the medicine, or they may be due to coincidental illnesses that would have occurred in the absence of the medicine. Dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban are anticoagulant medicines used to prevent or treat blood clots. The most commonly reported adverse reaction for all three medicines is gastrointestinal haemorrhage or bleeding, which is in keeping with the known anticoagulant effects of these medicines. Other relatively commonly reported suspected adverse reactions include bleeding at other sites of the body, gastrointestinal symptoms (such as nausea, pain and diarrhoea), anaemia, and rash. These adverse reactions are described in the product information, in both the Patient Information Leaflet for patients and the Summary of Healthcare Products for healthcare professionals.

NHS: Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department's press release of 25 November 2015, entitled Department of Health's settlement at the Spending Review 2015, how the figure of £2 billion of asset sales over five years was calculated; what the 25 potential asset sales with the highest prospective value are; what the value of projected asset sales scheduled to take place will be in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The £2 billion target was a Spending Review target agreed between the Department and HM Treasury. The target was derived from 2015-16 capital plans submitted to the Department from across the NHS Group, taking account of historic trends and additional future disposals needed to deliver the Department’s policy and finance objectives over the Spending Review period. Land and buildings are the highest value asset class in the National Health Service. The Department works with a wide range of NHS and foundation trust’s bodies in confidence to identify and help bring forward surplus property. Data on the values of surplus land and property, before it is sold, is commercially sensitive and is not appropriate for the public domain. The NHS continuously looks at ways of using its assets more efficiently, including disposing of what is surplus. It is not possible to provide a projected value of surplus assets at this stage while this work is ongoing but the Department is aiming to achieve circa £400 million per annum in sales from NHS and NHS Property Services’ assets over the Spending Review period.

NHS: Logos

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what legal costs have been incurred by NHS England in respect of the use of the NHS logo by the Vote Leave group; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: NHS England has not incurred any legal costs regarding this matter.

Health Services: Older People

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with NHS England on its report into the collapse of the Uniting Care Partnership contract; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: No such discussions have taken place. NHS England advises that the draft report is currently being finalised and will be published in due course.

Mental Health Services: Asylum

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers are able to access mental health services.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of refugees and asylum seekers who require mental health treatment.

Alistair Burt: No estimate has been made of the proportion of refugees and asylum seekers who require mental health treatment as this data is not routinely collected. Both refugees and asylum seekers are offered health assessments which include consideration of mental health issues, however we do not hold data on the outcome of these. NHS England and clinical commissioning groups are committed to ensuring fair and equitable mental health care services for all, which includes all Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, including vulnerable migrants, in particular, refugees and those seeking asylum. NHS England recently launched the Five Year Forward View Mental Health Task Force Report which clearly outlines action to be taken nationally, regionally, and locally to help improve mental health services for BME communities in England.The full report is available via the following link:  https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Mental-Health-Taskforce-FYFV-final.pdf  NHS England supported MIND to co-produce the Guidance for commissioners - ‘Commissioning mental health services for vulnerable adult migrants’ September 2015 launched February 2016. The Guidance aims to ensure National Health Service commissioners and providers provide timely and good quality mental health services for vulnerable migrants in particular refugees and those seeking asylum. The full report is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/gov/equality-hub/migrants/

Prescriptions: Learning Disability

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29571, on prescriptions: learning disability, if he will make it his policy to collect that information.

Alistair Burt: A prescription does not record whether someone has a learning disability so a collection of the requested information would require a change in the prescribing process. As part of the Government’s commitment to improve care for people with learning disabilities NHS England is planning a programme of work to reduce inappropriate prescribing.

Psychiatry: Vacancies

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of NHS consultant psychiatrist posts were vacant in each year since 2010.

Ben Gummer: This information is not collected.